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April 20 in History
- 1303 – The Sapienza University of Rome is instituted by a bull of Pope Boniface VIII.
- 1453 – Three Genoese galleys and a Byzantine blockade runner fight their way through an Ottoman blockading fleet a few weeks before the fall of Constantinople.
- 1534 – Jacques Cartier begins his first voyage to what is today the east coast of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador.
- 1535 – The sun dog phenomenon is observed over Stockholm, as later depicted in the famous painting Vädersolstavlan.
- 1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
- 1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- 1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
- 1689 – Deposed monarch James II of England lays siege to Derry.
- 1752 – Start of Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War, a new phase in the Burmese Civil War (1740–57).
- 1770 – The Georgian king, Erekle II, abandoned by his Russian ally Count Totleben, wins a victory over Ottoman forces at Aspindza.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
- 1789 – George Washington arrives at Grays Ferry, Philadelphia while en route to Manhattan for his inauguration.
- 1792 – France declares war against the “King of Hungary and Bohemia”, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
- 1800 – The Septinsular Republic is established.
- 1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – The governor of Caracas, Venezuela declares independence from Spain.
- 1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton ends, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle is upheld.
- 1828 – René Caillié becomes the second non-Muslim to enter (and the first to return from) Timbuktu, following Major Gordon Laing.
- 1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
- 1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the experiment disproving the theory of spontaneous generation.
- 1865 – Astronomer Angelo Secchi demonstrates the Secchi disk, which measures water clarity, aboard Pope Pius IX’s yacht, the L’Immaculata Concezion.
- 1876 – The April Uprising begins. Its suppression shocks European opinion, and Bulgarian independence becomes a condition for ending the Russo-Turkish War.
- 1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum genus.
- 1898 – U.S. President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
- 1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
- 1908 – Opening day of competition in the New South Wales Rugby League.
- 1912 – Opening day for baseball’s Tiger Stadium in Detroit, and Fenway Park in Boston.
- 1914 – Nineteen men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miners’ strike.
- 1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
- 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
- 1922 – The Soviet government creates South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Georgian SSR.
- 1939 – Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday’s celebrations in Germany
- 1945 – World War II: U.S. troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
- 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: On his 56th birthday Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
- 1945 – Twenty Jewish children used in medical experiments at Neuengamme are killed in the basement of the Bullenhuser Damm school.
- 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolves, giving most of its power to the United Nations.
- 1961 – Cold War: Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed Cuban exiles against Cuba.
- 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
- 1972 – Apollo program: Apollo 16 lunar module, commanded by John Young and piloted by Charles Duke, lands on the moon.
- 1998 – Air France Flight 422 crashes after taking off from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, killing all 53 people on board.
- 1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
- 2007 – Johnson Space Center shooting: William Phillips with a handgun barricade himself in NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
- 2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
- 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
- 2012 – One hundred twenty-seven people are killed when a plane crashes in a residential area near the Benazir Bhutto International Airport near Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 2013 – A 6.6-magnitude earthquake strikes Lushan County, Ya’an, in China’s Sichuan province, killing more than 150 people and injuring thousands.
- 2015 – Ten people are killed in a bomb attack on a convoy carrying food supplies to a United Nations compound in Garowe in the Somali region of Puntland.
Births on April 20
- 1494 – Johannes Agricola, German theologian and reformer (d. 1566)
- 1544 – Renata of Lorraine, Duchess consort of Bavaria (d. 1602)
- 1586 – Rose of Lima, Peruvian mystic and saint (d. 1617)
- 1633 – Emperor Go-Kōmyō of Japan (d. 1654)
- 1646 – Charles Plumier, French botanist and author (d. 1704)
- 1650 – William Bedloe, English spy (d. 1680)
- 1718 – David Brainerd, American missionary (d. 1747)
- 1723 – Cornelius Harnett, American merchant, farmer, and politician (d. 1781)
- 1727 – Florimond Claude, Comte de Mercy-Argenteau, Belgian-Austrian minister and diplomat (d. 1794)
- 1745 – Philippe Pinel, French physician and psychiatrist (d. 1826)
- 1748 – Georg Michael Telemann, German composer and theologian (d. 1831)
- 1772 – William Lawless, Irish revolutionary and French general (d. 1824)
- 1808 – Napoleon III, French politician, 1st President of France (d. 1873)
- 1816 – Bogoslav Šulek, Croatian philologist, historian, and lexicographer (d. 1895)
- 1818 – Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and engineer (d. 1893)
- 1826 – Dinah Craik, English author and poet (d. 1887)
- 1836 – Eli Whitney Blake, Jr., American scientist and academic (d. 1895)
- 1839 – Carol I of Romania, King of Romania (d. 1914)
- 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter and illustrator (d. 1916)
- 1850 – Daniel Chester French, American sculptor, designed the Lincoln statue (d. 1931)
- 1851 – Alexander Dianin, Russian chemist (d. 1918)
- 1851 – Siegmund Lubin, Polish-American businessman, founded the Lubin Manufacturing Company (d. 1923)
- 1860 – Justinien de Clary, French target shooter (d. 1933)
- 1871 – Sydney Chapman, English economist and civil servant (d. 1951)
- 1873 – James Harcourt, English character actor (d. 1951)
- 1875 – Vladimir Vidrić, Croatian poet and lawyer (d. 1909)
- 1879 – Paul Poiret, French fashion designer (d. 1944)
- 1882 – Holland Smith, American general (d. 1967)
- 1884 – Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Oliver Kirk, American boxer (d. 1960)
- 1884 – Daniel Varoujan, Armenian poet and educator (d. 1915)
- 1889 – Albert Jean Amateau, Turkish rabbi, lawyer, and activist (d. 1996)
- 1889 – Prince Erik, Duke of Västmanland (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Marie-Antoinette de Geuser, French mystic (d. 1918)
- 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born German politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945)
- 1889 – Tonny Kessler, Dutch footballer (d. 1960)
- 1890 – Maurice Duplessis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Premier of Quebec (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Adolf Schärf, Austrian soldier and politician, 6th President of Austria (d. 1965)
- 1891 – Dave Bancroft, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
- 1893 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, comedian, and producer (d. 1971)
- 1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1983)
- 1895 – Emile Christian, American trombonist and composer (d. 1973)
- 1895 – Henry de Montherlant, French essayist, novelist, and dramatist (d. 1972)
- 1896 – Wop May, Canadian captain and pilot (d. 1952)
- 1899 – Alan Arnett McLeod, Canadian lieutenant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1918)
- 1904 – Bruce Cabot, American actor (d. 1972)
- 1907 – Miran Bux, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Augoustinos Kantiotes, Greek bishop (d. 2010)
- 1908 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader, and actor (d. 2002)
- 1910 – Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, Turkish diplomat and politician (d. 1961)
- 1913 – Mimis Fotopoulos, Greek actor and poet (d. 1986)
- 1913 – Willi Hennig, German biologist and entomologist (d. 1976)
- 1913 – Roger Rochard, French runner (d. 1993)
- 1914 – Betty Lou Gerson, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1915 – Joseph Wolpe, South African psychotherapist and physician (d. 1997)
- 1916 – Nasiba Zeynalova, Azerbaijani actress (d. 2004)
- 1918 – Kai Siegbahn, Swedish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Richard Hillary, Australian lieutenant and pilot (d. 1943)
- 1920 – Frances Ames, South African neurologist, psychiatrist, and human rights activist (d. 2002)
- 1920 – Clement Isong, Nigerian banker and politician, Governor of Cross River State (d. 2000)
- 1920 – Ronald Speirs, American colonel (d. 2007)
- 1920 – John Paul Stevens, American lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Mother Angelica, American nun and broadcaster, founded Eternal Word Television Network (d. 2016)
- 1923 – Irene Lieblich, Polish-American painter and illustrator (d. 2008)
- 1923 – Tito Puente, American drummer and producer (d. 2000)
- 1924 – Nina Foch, Dutch-American actress (d. 2008)
- 1924 – Leslie Phillips, English actor and producer
- 1924 – Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist and academic
- 1925 – Ernie Stautner, German-American football player and coach (d. 2006)
- 1925 – Elena Verdugo, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Bud Cullen, Canadian judge and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration (d. 2005)
- 1927 – Phil Hill, American race car driver (d. 2008)
- 1927 – K. Alex Müller, Swiss physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1928 – Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Johnny Gavin, Irish international footballer (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Harry Agganis, American baseball and football player (d. 1955)
- 1929 – Bobby Hollander, American film director, actor, and magazine publisher (d. 2002)
- 1930 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Antony Jay, English director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1931 – Michael Allenby, 3rd Viscount Allenby, English lieutenant and politician (d. 2014)
- 1931 – John Eccles, 2nd Viscount Eccles, English businessman and politician
- 1932 – Myriam Bru, French actress
- 1933 – Kristaq Dhamo, Albanian actor and film director
- 1936 – Lisa Davis, English and American former child and adult actress
- 1936 – Pauli Ellefsen, Faroese technician, surveyor, and politician, 6th Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands (d. 2012)
- 1936 – Pat Roberts, American captain, journalist, and politician
- 1936 – Christopher Robinson, English organist and conductor
- 1937 – Jiří Dienstbier, Czech journalist and politician, Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Antonios Kounadis, Greek discus thrower
- 1937 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter and educator (d. 2002)
- 1937 – George Takei, American actor
- 1938 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter
- 1938 – Manfred Kinder, German runner
- 1938 – Peter Snow, British historian and journalist
- 1938 – Eszter Tamási, Hungarian actress (d. 1991)
- 1939 – Elspeth Ballantyne, Australian actress
- 1939 – Peter S. Beagle, American author and screenwriter
- 1939 – Gro Harlem Brundtland, Norwegian physician and politician, 22nd Prime Minister of Norway
- 1939 – Johnny Tillotson, American singer-songwriter
- 1940 – James Gammon, American actor (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
- 1942 – Giles Henderson, English lawyer and academic
- 1942 – Arto Paasilinna, Finnish journalist and author
- 1943 – Alan Beith, English academic and politician
- 1943 – John Eliot Gardiner, English conductor and director
- 1943 – Edie Sedgwick, American model and actress (d. 1971)
- 1944 – Toivo Aare, Estonian journalist and author (d. 1999)
- 1945 – Michael Brandon, American actor and director
- 1945 – Olga Karlatos, Greek actress and Bermudian lawyer
- 1945 – Thein Sein, Burmese general and politician, 8th President of Burma
- 1945 – Naftali Temu, Kenyan runner (d. 2003)
- 1945 – Steve Spurrier, American football player and head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner
- 1946 – Sandro Chia, Italian painter and sculptor
- 1946 – Julien Poulin, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1946 – Gordon Smiley, American race car driver (d. 1982)
- 1947 – Rita Dionne-Marsolais, Canadian economist and politician
- 1947 – David Leland, English actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – Viktor Suvorov, Russian intelligence officer, historian, and author
- 1948 – Gregory Itzin, American actor
- 1948 – Matthias Kuhle, German geographer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
- 1949 – Toller Cranston, Canadian-Mexican figure skater and painter (d. 2015)
- 1949 – Massimo D’Alema, Italian journalist and politician, 76th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1949 – Jessica Lange, American actress
- 1950 – Steve Erickson, American author and critic
- 1950 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician (d. 2002)
- 1950 – N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
- 1951 – Louise Jameson, English actress
- 1951 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1952 – Louka Katseli, Greek economist and politician
- 1952 – Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball player and coach
- 1952 – Eric Pickles, English politician, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
- 1953 – Sebastian Faulks, English journalist and author
- 1955 – Donald Pettit, American engineer and astronaut
- 1956 – Beatrice Ask, Swedish politician, Swedish Minister for Justice
- 1956 – Peter Chelsom, English film director, writer, and actor
- 1956 – Kakha Bendukidze, Georgian economist and politician
- 1956 – Georgie Glen, Scottish actress
- 1958 – Viacheslav Fetisov, Russian ice hockey player and coach
- 1959 – Perry Haddock, Australian rugby league player
- 1960 – Debbie Flintoff-King, Australian hurdler and coach
- 1961 – Don Mattingly, American baseball player, coach, and manager
- 1961 – Konstantin Lavronenko, Russian actor
- 1961 – Nicholas Lyndhurst, English actor
- 1961 – Paul Usher, English actor
- 1963 – Maurício Gugelmin, Brazilian race car driver
- 1963 – Rachel Whiteread, English sculptor
- 1964 – Crispin Glover, American actor
- 1964 – Andy Serkis, English actor and director
- 1964 – Rosalynn Sumners, American figure skater
- 1965 – Kostis Chatzidakis, Greek politician, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
- 1965 – Léa Fazer, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress
- 1965 – Adrián Fernández, Mexican race car driver
- 1965 – Rebecca Lacey, English actress
- 1966 – David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and academic
- 1966 – David Filo, American businessman, co-founded Yahoo!
- 1966 – Vincent Riendeau, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Mike Portnoy, American drummer and songwriter
- 1967 – Raymond van Barneveld, Dutch darts player
- 1968 – Julia Morris, Australian entertainer
- 1968 – Yelena Välbe, Russian skier and manager
- 1968 – Roman Virastyuk, Ukrainian shot putter
- 1969 – Felix Baumgartner, Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper
- 1969 – Will Hodgman, Australian politician, 45th Premier of Tasmania
- 1970 – Sarantuya, Mongolian soprano
- 1970 – Avishai Cohen, Israeli singer-songwriter and bassist
- 1970 – Shemar Moore, American actor
- 1971 – Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer, physiologist, and academic
- 1971 – Allan Houston, American basketball player and manager
- 1971 – Nikos Kyzeridis, Greek footballer
- 1972 – Lê Huỳnh Đức, Vietnamese footballer, coach, and manager
- 1972 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
- 1972 – Željko Joksimović, Serbian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1972 – Stephen Marley, American singer, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Julia Peng, Taiwanese singer
- 1973 – Isabel dos Santos, Angolan businesswoman and first African woman billionaire
- 1973 – Lamond Murray, American basketball player
- 1974 – Adrian Ilie, Romanian footballer
- 1974 – Julie Fernandez, English actress and model
- 1974 – Urmas Paet, Estonian journalist and politician, 26th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1975 – Killer Mike, American rapper and activist
- 1976 – Aldo Bobadilla, Paraguayan footballer
- 1976 – Shay Given, Irish footballer and manager
- 1976 – Chris Mason, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976 – Ismail Rasheed, Maldivian actor
- 1976 – Georgina Rylance, English actress
- 1979 – Stian Barsnes-Simonsen, Norwegian actor and television host
- 1979 – Ludovic Magnin, Swiss footballer and coach
- 1979 – Nate Marquardt, American mixed martial artist
- 1980 – Gunta Baško, Latvian basketball player
- 1980 – Sunaina Sunaina, Indian weightlifter
- 1980 – Jasmin Wagner, German singer and actress
- 1982 – Jacqueline Govaert, Dutch singer-songwriter and pianist
- 1982 – Dario Knežević, Croatian footballer
- 1983 – Danny Granger, American basketball player
- 1983 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
- 1983 – Joanne King, Irish actress
- 1984 – Nelson Évora, Ivorian-Portuguese triple jumper
- 1984 – Bárbara Lennie, Spanish actress
- 1984 – Edixon Perea, Colombian footballer
- 1984 – Jenna Shoemaker, American triathlete
- 1985 – Curt Hawkins, American wrestler
- 1985 – Brent Seabrook, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Chun Woo-hee, South Korean actress
- 1988 – Brandon Belt, American baseball player
- 1989 – Cally-Jo, English fine artist and tattoo artist
- 1989 – Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014
- 1989 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian-American actor and singer
- 1990 – Luhan, Chinese singer and actor
- 1990 – Abby Mavers, English actress
- 1992 – Kristian Álvarez, Mexican footballer
- 1992 – Marko Meerits, Estonian footballer
- 1995 – Damian McKenzie, New Zealand rugby union player
- 1995 – Jean Marie Dongou, Cameroonian footballer
- 1997 – Alexander “Sascha” Zverev, German tennis player
- 1998 – Zachary Claman DeMelo, Canadian racing driver
Deaths on April 20
- 689 – Cædwalla, king of Wessex (b. 659)
- 767 – Taichō, Japanese monk (b. 682)
- 888 – Xi Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 862)
- 1099 – Peter Bartholomew (b. 1061)
- 1164 – Antipope Victor IV
- 1176 – Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, English-Irish politician, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (b. 1130)
- 1248 – Güyük Khan, Mongol ruler, 3rd Great Khan of the Mongol Empire (b. 1206)
- 1284 – Hōjō Tokimune, regent of Japan (b. 1251)
- 1314 – Pope Clement V (b. 1264)
- 1322 – Simon Rinalducci, Italian Augustinian friar
- 1521 – Zhengde, Chinese emperor (b. 1491)
- 1534 – Elizabeth Barton, English nun and martyr (b. 1506)
- 1558 – Johannes Bugenhagen, German priest and theologian (b. 1485)
- 1643 – Christoph Demantius, German composer and poet (b. 1567)
- 1703 – Lancelot Addison, English clergyman and educator (b. 1632)
- 1769 – Chief Pontiac, American tribal leader (b. 1720)
- 1831 – John Abernethy, English surgeon and anatomist (b. 1764)
- 1873 – William Tite, English architect, designed the Royal Exchange (b. 1798)
- 1874 – Alexander H. Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1817)
- 1881 – William Burges, English architect and designer (b. 1827)
- 1886 – Charles-François-Frédéric, marquis de Montholon-Sémonville, French general and diplomat, French ambassador to the United States (b. 1814)
- 1887 – Muhammad Sharif Pasha, Greek-Egyptian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1826)
- 1899 – Joseph Wolf, German ornithologist and illustrator (b. 1820)
- 1902 – Joaquim de Sousa Andrade, Brazilian poet and educator (b. 1833)
- 1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847)
- 1918 – Karl Ferdinand Braun, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1850)
- 1927 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1866)
- 1929 – Prince Henry of Prussia (b. 1862)
- 1931 – Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, Scottish-English fencer and businessman (b. 1862)
- 1932 – Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician and philosopher (b. 1858)
- 1935 – John Cameron, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1872)
- 1935 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English fashion designer (b. 1863)
- 1942 – Jüri Jaakson, Estonian businessman and politician, 6th State Elder of Estonia (b. 1870)
- 1944 – Elmer Gedeon, American baseball player and pilot (b. 1917)
- 1945 – Erwin Bumke, Polish-German jurist and politician (b. 1874)
- 1946 – Mae Busch, Australian actress (b. 1891)
- 1947 – Christian X of Denmark (b. 1870)
- 1951 – Ivanoe Bonomi, Italian politician, 25th Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1873)
- 1961 – Ado Vabbe, Estonian painter (b. 1892)
- 1967 – Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (b. 1896)
- 1968 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (b. 1877)
- 1969 – Vjekoslav Luburić, Croatian Ustaše official and concentration camp administrator (b. 1914)
- 1980 – M. Canagaratnam, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1924)
- 1982 – Archibald MacLeish, American poet, playwright, and lawyer (b. 1892)
- 1986 – Sibte Hassan, Pakistani journalist, scholar, and activist (b. 1916)
- 1991 – Steve Marriott, English singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
- 1991 – Don Siegel, American director and producer (b. 1912)
- 1992 – Marjorie Gestring, American springboard diver (b. 1922)
- 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
- 1993 – Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1911)
- 1995 – Milovan Đilas, Yugoslav communist, politician, theorist and author (b. 1911)
- 1996 – Trần Văn Trà, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1918)
- 1999 – Casualties of the Columbine High School massacre:
- Cassie Bernall, American student (b. 1981)
- Eric Harris, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Dylan Klebold, American student and murderer (b. 1981)
- Rachel Scott, American student, inspired the Rachel’s Challenge (b. 1981)
- 1999 – Rick Rude, American wrestler (b. 1958)
- 2001 – Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (b. 1946)
- 2002 – Alan Dale, American singer (b. 1925)
- 2003 – Daijiro Kato, Japanese motorcycle racer (b. 1976)
- 2003 – Bernard Katz, German-English biophysicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 2004 – Lizzy Mercier Descloux, French musician, singer-songwriter, composer, actress, writer and painter (b. 1956)
- 2005 – Fumio Niwa, Japanese journalist and author (b. 1904)
- 2007 – Andrew Hill, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931)
- 2008 – Monica Lovinescu, Romanian journalist and author (b. 1923)
- 2010 – Dorothy Height, American educator and activist (b. 1912)
- 2011 – Tim Hetherington, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
- 2012 – Bert Weedon, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1920)
- 2014 – Mithat Bayrak, Turkish wrestler and trainer (b. 1929)
- 2014 – Rubin Carter, American-Canadian boxer (b. 1937)
- 2014 – Neville Wran, Australian lawyer and politician, 35th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1926)
- 2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953)
- 2017 – Cuba Gooding Sr., American singer and actor (b. 1944)
- 2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ, and musician (b. 1989)
- 2019 – Jacqueline Saburido, Venezuelan activist (b. 1978)
Holidays and observances on April 20
- 420 (cannabis culture) (International)
- Christian feast day:
- Agnes of Montepulciano
- Beuno
- Hugh of Anzy le Duc
- Johannes Bugenhagen (Lutheran)
- Marcellinus of Gaul (Embrun)
- Blessed Oda of Brabant
- Pope Anicetus
- Theotimos
- April 20 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- UN Chinese Language Day (United Nations)
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April 19 in History
- AD 65 – The freedman Milichus betrays Piso’s plot to kill Emperor Nero and all the conspirators are arrested.
- 531 – Battle of Callinicum: A Byzantine army under Belisarius is defeated by the Persians at Raqqa (northern Syria).
- 797 – Empress Irene organizes a conspiracy against her son, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VI. He is deposed and blinded. Shortly after, Constantine dies of his wounds; Irene proclaims herself basileus.
- 1506 – The Lisbon Massacre begins, in which accused Jews are being slaughtered by Portuguese Catholics.
- 1529 – Beginning of the Protestant Reformation: After the Second Diet of Speyer bans Lutheranism, a group of rulers (German: Fürst) and independent cities protests the reinstatement of the Edict of Worms.
- 1539 – The Treaty of Frankfurt between Protestants and the Holy Roman Emperor is signed.
- 1608 – In Ireland: O’Doherty’s Rebellion is launched by the Burning of Derry.
- 1677 – The French army captures the town of Cambrai held by Spanish troops.
- 1713 – With no living male heirs, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 to ensure that Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would be inheritable by a female; his daughter and successor, Maria Theresa was not born until 1717.
- 1770 – Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
- 1770 – Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI of France in a proxy wedding.
- 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The war begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord.
- 1782 – John Adams secures the Dutch Republic’s recognition of the United States as an independent government. The house which he had purchased in The Hague, Netherlands becomes the first American embassy.
- 1809 – An Austrian corps is defeated by the forces of the Duchy of Warsaw in the Battle of Raszyn, part of the struggles of the Fifth Coalition. On the same day the Austrian main army is defeated by a First French Empire Corps led by Louis-Nicolas Davout at the Battle of Teugen-Hausen in Bavaria, part of a four-day campaign that ended in a French victory.
- 1810 – Venezuela achieves home rule: Vicente Emparán, Governor of the Captaincy General is removed by the people of Caracas and a junta is installed.
- 1818 – French physicist Augustin Fresnel signs his preliminary “Note on the Theory of Diffraction” (deposited on the following day). The document ends with what we now call the Fresnel integrals.
- 1839 – The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and guarantees its neutrality.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Baltimore riot of 1861: A pro-Secession mob in Baltimore attacks United States Army troops marching through the city.
- 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Palestine and the Western world.
- 1927 – Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
- 1942 – World War II: In Poland, the Majdan-Tatarski ghetto is established, situated between the Lublin Ghetto and a Majdanek subcamp.
- 1943 – World War II: In Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins, after German troops enter the Warsaw Ghetto to round up the remaining Jews.
- 1943 – Albert Hofmann deliberately doses himself with LSD for the first time, three days after having discovered its effects on April 16.
- 1956 – Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco.
- 1960 – Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against president Syngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.
- 1971 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic, and Siaka Stevens the president.
- 1971 – Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.
- 1971 – Charles Manson is sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for conspiracy in the Tate–LaBianca murders.
- 1973 – The Portuguese Socialist Party is founded in the German town of Bad Münstereifel.
- 1975 – India’s first satellite Aryabhata launched in orbit from Kapustin Yar, Russia.
- 1984 – Advance Australia Fair is proclaimed as Australia’s national anthem, and green and gold as the national colours.
- 1985 – Two hundred ATF and FBI agents lay siege to the compound of the white supremacist survivalist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas; the CSA surrenders two days later.
- 1987 – The Simpsons first appear as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show, first starting with Good Night.
- 1989 – A gun turret explodes on the USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
- 1993 – The 51-day FBI siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas, USA, ends when a fire breaks out. 76 Davidians, including eighteen children under the age of ten, died in the fire.
- 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, is bombed, killing 168 people including 19 children under the age of six.
- 1999 – The German Bundestag returns to Berlin.
- 2000 – Air Philippines Flight 541 crashes in Samal, Davao del Norte, killing all 131 people on board.
- 2005 – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected to the papacy and becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
- 2011 – Fidel Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba after holding the title since July 1961.
- 2013 – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is killed in a shootout with police. His brother Dzhokhar is later captured hiding in a boat inside a backyard in the suburb of Watertown.
- 2020 – A killing spree in Nova Scotia, Canada, leaves 22 people and the perpetrator dead, making it the deadliest rampage in the country’s history.
Births on April 19
- 1452 – Frederick IV, King of Naples (d. 1504)
- 1593 – Sir John Hobart, 2nd Baronet, English politician (d. 1647)
- 1603 – Michel Le Tellier, French politician, French Minister of Defence (d. 1685)
- 1613 – Christoph Bach, German musician (d. 1661)
- 1633 – Willem Drost, Dutch painter (d. 1659)
- 1655 – George St Lo(e), Royal Navy officer and administrator (d. 1718)
- 1658 – Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, German husband of Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria (d. 1716)
- 1665 – Jacques Lelong, French author (d. 1721)
- 1686 – Vasily Tatishchev, Russian ethnographer and politician (d. 1750)
- 1715 – James Nares, English organist and composer (d. 1783)
- 1721 – Roger Sherman, American lawyer and politician (d. 1793)
- 1734 – Karl von Ordóñez, Austrian violinist and composer (d. 1786)
- 1757 – Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, English admiral and politician (d. 1833)
- 1758 – William Carnegie, 7th Earl of Northesk, Scottish admiral (d. 1831)
- 1785 – Alexandre Pierre François Boëly, French pianist and composer (d. 1858)
- 1787 – Deaf Smith, American soldier (d. 1837)
- 1793 – Ferdinand I of Austria (d. 1875)
- 1806 – Sarah Bagley, American labor organizer (d. 1889)
- 1814 – Louis Amédée Achard, French journalist and author (d. 1875)
- 1832 – José Echegaray, Spanish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1916)
- 1835 – Julius Krohn, Finnish poet and journalist (d. 1888)
- 1863 – Hemmo Kallio, Finnish actor (d. 1940)
- 1872 – Alice Salomon, German social reformer (d. 1948)
- 1873 – Sydney Barnes, English cricketer (d. 1967)
- 1874 – Ernst Rüdin, Swiss psychiatrist, geneticist, and eugenicist (d. 1952)
- 1877 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American engineer, invented the outboard motor (d. 1934)
- 1879 – Arthur Robertson, Scottish runner (d. 1957)
- 1882 – Getúlio Vargas, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 14th President of Brazil (d. 1954)
- 1883 – Henry Jameson, American soccer player (d. 1938)
- 1883 – Richard von Mises, Austrian-American mathematician and physicist (d. 1953)
- 1885 – Karl Tarvas, Estonian architect (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Otto Georg Thierack, German jurist and politician (d. 1946)
- 1891 – Françoise Rosay, French actress (d. 1974)
- 1892 – Germaine Tailleferre, French composer and educator (d. 1983)
- 1894 – Elizabeth Dilling, American author and activist (d. 1966)
- 1897 – Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Jiroemon Kimura, Japanese super-centenarian, oldest verified man ever (d. 2013)
- 1898 – Constance Talmadge, American actress and producer (d. 1973)
- 1899 – George O’Brien, American actor (d. 1985)
- 1899 – Cemal Tollu, Turkish lieutenant and painter (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Iracema de Alencar, Brazilian film actress (d. 1978)
- 1900 – Richard Hughes, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1976)
- 1900 – Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (d. 1991)
- 1900 – Rhea Silberta, Yiddish songwriter and singing teacher (d. 1959)
- 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author and screenwriter (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (d. 1957)
- 1907 – Alan Wheatley, English actor (d. 1991)
- 1908 – Irena Eichlerówna, Polish actress (d. 1990)
- 1912 – Glenn T. Seaborg, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)
- 1913 – Ken Carpenter, American discus thrower and coach (d. 1984)
- 1917 – Sven Hassel, Danish-German soldier and author (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Sol Kaplan, American pianist and composer (d. 1990)
- 1920 – Gene Leis, American guitarist, composer, and producer (d. 1993)
- 1920 – Marvin Mandel, American lawyer and politician, 56th Governor of Maryland (d. 2015)
- 1920 – John O’Neil, American baseball player and manager (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Julien Ries, Belgian cardinal (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Marian Winters, American actress (d. 1978)
- 1921 – Anna Lee Aldred, American jockey (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Leon Henkin, American logician (d. 2006)
- 1921 – Roberto Tucci, Italian Jesuit leader, cardinal, and theologian (d. 2015)
- 1922 – Erich Hartmann, German colonel and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1922 – David Smith, politician in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe (d. 1996)
- 1925 – John Kraaijkamp, Sr., Dutch actor (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Hugh O’Brian, American actor (d. 2016)
- 1926 – Rawya Ateya, Egyptian captain and politician (d. 1997)
- 1928 – John Horlock, English engineer and academic (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Azlan Shah of Perak, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Walter Stewart, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
- 1932 – Fernando Botero, Colombian painter and sculptor
- 1933 – Dickie Bird, English cricketer and umpire
- 1933 – Jayne Mansfield, American model and actress (d. 1967)
- 1933 – Philip Lavallin Wroughton, English captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire
- 1934 – Dickie Goodman, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1989)
- 1935 – Dudley Moore, English actor, comedian, and pianist (d. 2002)
- 1935 – Justin Francis Rigali, American cardinal
- 1936 – Wilfried Martens, Belgian politician, 60th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 2013)
- 1936 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1937 – Antonio Carluccio, Italian-English chef and author (d. 2017)
- 1937 – Elinor Donahue, American actress
- 1937 – Joseph Estrada, Filipino politician, 13th President of the Philippines
- 1938 – Stanley Fish, American theorist, author, and scholar
- 1939 – E. Clay Shaw, Jr., American accountant, judge, and politician (d. 2013)
- 1941 – Roberto Carlos, Brazilian singer-songwriter
- 1941 – Clark Dimond, American musician and author
- 1941 – Michel Roux, French-English chef and author (d. 2020)
- 1941 – Bobby Russell, American singer-songwriter (d. 1992)
- 1942 – Bas Jan Ader, Dutch-American photographer and director (d. 1975)
- 1942 – Alan Price, English keyboard player, singer, and composer
- 1942 – Jack Roush, American businessman, founded Roush Fenway Racing
- 1942 – Maarten van den Bergh, American-Dutch businessman
- 1943 – Margo MacDonald, Scottish journalist and politician (d. 2014)[28]
- 1943 – Lorenzo Sanz, Spanish businessman
- 1944 – Keith Erickson, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1944 – James Heckman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1944 – Bernie Worrell, American keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2016)[29]
- 1946 – Duygu Asena, Turkish journalist, author, and activist (d. 2006)
- 1946 – Tim Curry, English actor[30]
- 1947 – Murray Perahia, American pianist and conductor
- 1947 – Wilfrid Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Balmacara, English civil servant
- 1947 – Yan Pascal Tortelier, French violinist and conductor
- 1947 – Mark Volman, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1948 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio host and author (d. 2017)
- 1948 – Rick Miller, American baseball player and manager
- 1949 – Paloma Picasso, French-Spanish fashion designer
- 1949 – Larry Walters, American truck driver and pilot (d. 1993)
- 1950 – Julia Cleverdon, English businesswoman and philanthropist
- 1951 – Barry Brown, American actor and playwright (d. 1978)
- 1951 – Jóannes Eidesgaard, Faroese educator and politician, Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
- 1952 – Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer and politician (d. 2009)
- 1952 – Tony Plana, Cuban-American actor and director
- 1952 – Michael Trend, English journalist and politician
- 1953 – Rod Morgenstein, American drummer
- 1953 – Sara Simeoni, Italian high jumper
- 1953 – Ruby Wax, British-based American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Trevor Francis, English footballer and manager
- 1954 – Bob Rock, Canadian guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1956 – Sue Barker, English tennis player and journalist
- 1956 – Randy Carlyle, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1956 – Anne Glover, Scottish biologist and academic
- 1957 – Tony Martin, English singer-songwriter
- 1957 – Mukesh Ambani, Indian businessman, chairman of Reliance Industries and currently the richest man in Asia[31][32]
- 1958 – Steve Antin, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1958 – Stevie B, American singer-songwriter and record producer
- 1958 – Denis O’Brien, Irish businessman, founded BT Ireland
- 1958 – Vytautas Šapranauskas, Lithuanian actor (d. 2013)
- 1958 – Keith Shine, British academic and educator
- 1959 – Jane Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, English activist
- 1959 – Teofisto Guingona III, Filipino lawyer and politician
- 1959 – Donald Markwell, Australian sociologist and academic
- 1960 – Nicoletta Braschi, Italian actress and producer
- 1960 – Ara Gevorgyan, Armenian pianist, composer, and producer
- 1960 – Roger Merrett, Australian footballer and coach
- 1960 – John Schweitz, American basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Frank Viola, American baseball player and coach[33]
- 1961 – Alan Kirschenbaum, American producer and writer (d. 2012)
- 1961 – Albert Martinez, Filipino actor, director, and producer
- 1961 – Spike Owen, American baseball player and coach
- 1962 – Al Unser Jr., American race car driver
- 1964 – Gordon Marshall, Scottish footballer and coach
- 1964 – Kim Weaver, American astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic
- 1965 – Natalie Dessay, French soprano and actress
- 1965 – Suge Knight, American record producer, co-founded Death Row Records
- 1966 – Véronique Gens, French soprano and actress
- 1966 – David La Haye, Canadian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1966 – Paul Reiffel, Australian cricketer and umpire
- 1966 – El Samurai, Japanese wrestler
- 1967 – Philippe Saint-André, French rugby player and coach
- 1968 – Ashley Judd, American actress and activist
- 1968 – Arshad Warsi, Indian film actor and producer
- 1969 – Andrew Carnie, Canadian-American linguist, author, and academic
- 1969 – Susan Polgar, Hungarian-American chess player
- 1970 – Luis Miguel, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
- 1970 – Kelly Holmes, English runner
- 1970 – Abelardo Fernández, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1971 – Brendon Burns, Australian comedian, podcaster, writer and author
- 1971 – Scott McCord, Canadian voice actor
- 1972 – Rivaldo, Brazilian footballer
- 1972 – Jeff Wilkins, American football player
- 1973 – George Gregan, Zambian-Australian rugby player and coach
- 1973 – Alessio Scarpi, Italian footballer
- 1975 – Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer and coach
- 1975 – Jussi Jääskeläinen, Finnish footballer
- 1976 – Ruud Jolie, Dutch guitarist
- 1976 – Scott Padgett, American basketball player, coach, and radio host
- 1976 – Kim Young-oh, South Korean author and illustrator
- 1977 – Joe Beimel, American baseball player
- 1977 – Anju Bobby George, Indian long jumper
- 1977 – Lucien Mettomo, Cameroonian footballer
- 1977 – Dennys Reyes, Mexican baseball player
- 1977 – Jonny Storm, English wrestler and trainer
- 1978 – James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1978 – Gabriel Heinze, Argentinian footballer
- 1978 – Amanda Sage, American-Austrian painter and educator
- 1979 – Rocky Bernard, American football player
- 1979 – Kate Hudson, American actress
- 1979 – Zhao Junzhe, Chinese footballer
- 1980 – Jason Blaine, Canadian singer-songwriter
- 1980 – Robyn Regehr, Brazilian-Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Hayden Christensen, Canadian actor and producer
- 1981 – Ryuta Hara, Japanese footballer
- 1981 – Martin Havlát, Czech ice hockey player
- 1981 – James Hibberd, English cricketer
- 1981 – Troy Polamalu, American football player
- 1981 – Catalina Sandino Moreno, Colombian actress
- 1982 – Joseph Hagerty, American gymnast
- 1982 – Filip Jícha, Czech handball player
- 1982 – Samuel C. Morrison, Jr., Liberian-American journalist, producer, and screenwriter
- 1982 – Rocco Sabato, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Ignacio Serricchio, Argentinian-American actor
- 1982 – Sitiveni Sivivatu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1983 – Alberto Callaspo, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1983 – Zach Duke, American baseball player
- 1983 – Joe Mauer, American baseball player
- 1983 – Patrick Platins, German footballer
- 1983 – Curtis Thigpen, American baseball player
- 1984 – Christopher Pearce, English cricketer
- 1985 – Valon Behrami, Swiss footballer
- 1985 – David Cavazos, Mexican singer-songwriter
- 1985 – Sabrina Jalees, Canadian comedian, dancer, actress, presenter, and writer
- 1985 – Jan Zimmermann, German footballer
- 1986 – Pascal Angan, Beninese footballer
- 1986 – Candace Parker, American basketball player
- 1986 – Gabe Pruitt, American basketball player
- 1986 – Will Thursfield, English-Australian footballer
- 1987 – Luigi Giorgi, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Joe Hart, English footballer
- 1987 – Daniel Schuhmacher, German singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Maria Sharapova, Russian tennis player
- 1987 – Lauren Wilson, Canadian figure skater
- 1988 – Enrique Esqueda, Mexican footballer
- 1989 – Dominik Mader, German footballer
- 1989 – Daisuke Watabe, Japanese footballer
- 1989 – Genoveva Añonma, Equatoguinean footballer
- 1990 – Jackie Bradley, Jr., American baseball player
- 1990 – Kim Chiu, Filipino actress, singer, and dancer[34]
- 1990 – Héctor Herrera, Mexican footballer
- 1990 – Ayaka Takahashi, Japanese badminton player
- 1991 – Steve Cook, English footballer
Deaths April 19
- 843 – Judith of Bavaria, Frankish empress
- 1012 – Ælfheah of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint (b. 954)
- 1013 – Hisham II, Umayyad caliph of Córdoba (b. 966)
- 1044 – Gothelo I, duke of Lorraine
- 1054 – Leo IX, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1002)
- 1321 – Gerasimus I, patriarch of Constantinople
- 1390 – Robert II, king of Scotland (b. 1316)
- 1405 – Thomas West, 1st Baron West, English nobleman (b. 1335)[35]
- 1431 – Adolph III, count of Waldeck (b. 1362)
- 1560 – Philip Melanchthon, German theologian and reformer (b. 1497)
- 1567 – Michael Stifel, German monk and mathematician (b. 1487)
- 1578 – Uesugi Kenshin, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1530)
- 1588 – Paolo Veronese, Italian painter (b. 1528)
- 1608 – Thomas Sackville, 1st Earl of Dorset, English poet, playwright, and politician, Lord High Treasurer (b. 1536)
- 1618 – Thomas Bastard, English priest and author (b. 1566)
- 1619 – Jagat Gosain, Mughal empress (b. 1573)[36]
- 1629 – Sigismondo d’India, Italian composer (b. 1582)
- 1632 – Sigismund III Vasa, king of Sweden and Poland (b. 1566)
- 1686 – Antonio de Solís y Ribadeneyra, Spanish historian and playwright (b. 1610)
- 1689 – Christina, queen of Sweden (b. 1626)
- 1733 – Elizabeth Hamilton, countess of Orkney (b. 1657)
- 1739 – Nicholas Saunderson, English mathematician and academic (b. 1682)
- 1768 – Canaletto, Italian painter and etcher (b. 1697)
- 1776 – Jacob Emden, German rabbi and author (b. 1697)
- 1791 – Richard Price, Welsh-English preacher and philosopher (b. 1723)
- 1813 – Benjamin Rush, American physician and educator (b. 1745)
- 1824 – Lord Byron, English-Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1788)
- 1831 – Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger, German astronomer and mathematician (b. 1765)
- 1833 – James Gambier, 1st Baron Gambier, Bahamian-English admiral and politician, 36th Commodore Governor of Newfoundland (b. 1756)
- 1840 – Jean-Jacques Lartigue, Canadian bishop (b. 1777)
- 1854 – Robert Jameson, Scottish mineralogist and academic (b. 1774)
- 1881 – Benjamin Disraeli, English journalist and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1804)
- 1882 – Charles Darwin, English biologist and theorist (b. 1809)
- 1893 – Martin Körber, Estonian-German pastor, composer, and conductor (b. 1817)
- 1901 – Alfred Horatio Belo, American publisher, founded The Dallas Morning News (b. 1839)
- 1906 – Pierre Curie, French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1859)
- 1906 – Spencer Gore, English tennis player and cricketer (b. 1850)
- 1909 – Signe Rink, Greenland-born Danish writer and ethnologist (b. 1836)
- 1914 – Charles Sanders Peirce, American mathematician and philosopher (b. 1839)
- 1915 – Thomas Playford II, English-Australian politician, 17th Premier of South Australia (b. 1837)
- 1916 – Ephraim Shay, American engineer, designed the Shay locomotive (b. 1839)
- 1926 – Alexander Alexandrovich Chuprov, Russian-Swiss statistician and theorist (b. 1874)
- 1930 – Georges-Casimir Dessaulles, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1827)
- 1937 – Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English cartographer and politician (b. 1856)
- 1937 – William Morton Wheeler, American entomologist and zoologist (b. 1865)
- 1941 – Johanna Müller-Hermann, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
- 1949 – Ulrich Salchow, Danish-Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
- 1950 – Ernst Robert Curtius, French-German philologist and scholar (b. 1886)
- 1955 – Jim Corbett, British-Indian colonel, hunter, and author (b. 1875)
- 1960 – Beardsley Ruml, American economist and statistician (b. 1894)
- 1961 – Max Hainle, German swimmer (b. 1882)
- 1967 – Konrad Adenauer, German politician, 1st Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876)
- 1971 – Luigi Piotti, Italian race car driver (b. 1913)
- 1975 – Percy Lavon Julian, American chemist and academic (b. 1899)
- 1987 – Hugh Brannum, American vocalist, arranger, and composer (b. 1910)
- 1989 – Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (b. 1907)
- 1991 – Stanley Hawes, English-Australian director and producer (b. 1905)
- 1992 – Frankie Howerd, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1917)
- 1993 – David Koresh, American religious leader (b. 1959)
- 1993 – George S. Mickelson, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 28th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1941)
- 1998 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, philosopher, and academic Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1914)
- 1999 – Hermine Braunsteiner, Austrian-German SS officer (b. 1919)
- 2000 – Louis Applebaum, Canadian composer and conductor (b. 1918)
- 2001 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr.. American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1912)
- 2002 – Reginald Rose, American writer (b. 1920)
- 2003 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph (b. 1928)
- 2004 – Norris McWhirter, English author and activist co-founded the Guinness World Records (b. 1925)
- 2004 – John Maynard Smith, English biologist and geneticist (b. 1920)
- 2004 – Jenny Pike, Canadian WWII servicewoman and photographer (b. 1922)[37]
- 2005 – George P. Cosmatos, Italian-Greek director and screenwriter (b. 1941)
- 2005 – Ruth Hussey, American actress (b. 1911)
- 2005 – Clement Meadmore, Australian-American sculptor and author (b. 1929)
- 2005 – Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish bassist and composer (b. 1946)
- 2006 – Albert Scott Crossfield, American engineer, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1921)
- 2007 – Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (b. 1932)
- 2008 – John Marzano, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1963)
- 2008 – Alfonso López Trujillo, Colombian cardinal (b. 1935)
- 2009 – J. G. Ballard, English novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1930)
- 2011 – Elisabeth Sladen, English actress (b. 1946)[38]
- 2012 – Leopold David de Rothschild, English financier and philanthropist (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Greg Ham, Australian saxophonist, songwriter, and actor (b. 1953)
- 2012 – Levon Helm, American singer-songwriter, drummer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and actor (b. 1940)
- 2012 – Valeri Vasiliev, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Sivanthi Adithan, Indian businessman (b. 1936)
- 2013 – Allan Arbus, American actor and photographer (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Mike Denness, Scottish-English cricketer and referee (b. 1940)
- 2013 – François Jacob, French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1920)
- 2013 – E. L. Konigsburg, American author and illustrator (b. 1930)
- 2013 – Al Neuharth, American journalist, author, and publisher, founded USA Today (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Lindy Berry, American football player (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Ian McIntyre, Scottish journalist and producer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Frits Thors, Dutch journalist (b. 1909)
- 2015 – Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (b. 1919)
- 2015 – William Price Fox, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (b. 1924)[39]
- 2015 – Tom McCabe, Scottish social worker and politician (b. 1954)[40]
- 2015 – Oktay Sinanoğlu, Italian-Turkish chemist and academic (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Patricio Aylwin, Chilean politician (b. 1918)[41]
- 2016 – Milt Pappas, American baseball player (b. 1939)[42]
- 2017 – Aaron Hernandez, American football player (b. 1989)[43]
Holidays and observances on April 19
- Christian feast day:
- Ælfheah of Canterbury (Anglican, Catholic)
- Conrad of Ascoli
- Emma of Lesum
- Expeditus
- George of Antioch
- Olaus and Laurentius Petri (Lutheran)
- Pope Leo IX
- Ursmar
- April 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which First Day of Summer or Sumardagurinn fyrsti can fall, while April 25 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18. (Iceland)
- Army Day (Brazil)
- Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
- Bicycle Day[44]
- Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States)
- Holocaust Remembrance Day (Poland)
- Indian Day (Brazil)
- King Mswati III’s birthday (Eswatini)
- Landing of the 33 Patriots Day (Uruguay)
- Patriots’ Day (Massachusetts, Maine and Wisconsin, United States)
-
April 18 in History
- 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The patrician Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days.
- 1506 – The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid.
- 1518 – Bona Sforza is crowned as queen consort of Poland.
- 1521 – Trial of Martin Luther begins its second day during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. He refuses to recant his teachings despite the risk of excommunication.
- 1689 – Bostonians rise up in rebellion against Sir Edmund Andros.
- 1738 – Real Academia de la Historia (“Royal Academy of History”) is founded in Madrid.
- 1775 – American Revolution: The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and other riders warn the countryside of the troop movements.
- 1783 – Three-Fifths Compromise: the first instance of black slaves in the United States of America being counted as three fifths of persons (for the purpose of taxation), in a resolution of the Congress of the Confederation. This was later adopted in the 1787 Constitution.
- 1831 – The University of Alabama is founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
- 1847 – American victory at the battle of Cerro Gordo opens the way for invasion of Mexico.
- 1857 – “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec is published, marking the birth of Spiritualism in France.
- 1864 – Battle of Dybbøl: A Prussian-Austrian army defeats Denmark and gains control of Schleswig. Denmark surrenders the province in the following peace settlement.
- 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
- 1899 – The St. Andrew’s Ambulance Association is granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria.
- 1902 – The 7.5 Mw Guatemala earthquake shakes Guatemala with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe), killing between 800–2,000.
- 1906 – An earthquake and fire destroy much of San Francisco, California.
- 1909 – Joan of Arc is beatified in Rome.
- 1912 – The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brings 705 survivors from the RMS Titanic to New York City.
- 1915 – French pilot Roland Garros is shot down and glides to a landing on the German side of the lines during World War I.
- 1923 – Yankee Stadium: “The House that Ruth Built” opens.
- 1925 – The International Amateur Radio Union is formed in Paris.
- 1930 – The British Broadcasting Corporation announced that “there is no news” in their evening report.
- 1939 – Robert Menzies, who became Australia’s longest-serving prime minister, is elected as leader of the United Australia Party after the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons.
- 1942 – World War II: The Doolittle Raid on Japan: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagoya are bombed.
- 1942 – Pierre Laval becomes Prime Minister of Vichy France.
- 1943 – World War II: Operation Vengeance, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is killed when his aircraft is shot down by U.S. fighters over Bougainville Island.
- 1945 – Over 1,000 bombers attack the small island of Heligoland, Germany.
- 1946 – The International Court of Justice holds its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands.
- 1949 – The Republic of Ireland Act comes into effect.
- 1949 – The keel for the aircraft carrier USS United States is laid down at Newport News Drydock and Shipbuilding. However, construction is canceled five days later, resulting in the Revolt of the Admirals.
- 1954 – Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power in Egypt.
- 1955 – Twenty-nine nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference.
- 1980 – The Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) comes into being, with Canaan Banana as the country’s first President. The Zimbabwean dollar replaces the Rhodesian dollar as the official currency.
- 1983 – A suicide bomber in Lebanon destroys the United States embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people.
- 1987 – The New York Islanders defeat the Washington Capitals 3–2 in Game 7 of their Patrick Division Semifinal series.
- 1988 – The United States launches Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
- 1996 – In Lebanon, at least 106 civilians are killed when the Israel Defense Forces shell the United Nations compound at Qana where more than 800 civilians had taken refuge.
- 1997 – The Red River flood begins and soon overwhelms the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Fire breaks out and spreads in downtown Grand Forks, but high water levels hamper efforts to reach the fire, leading to the destruction of 11 buildings.
- 1999 – Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League’s all-time points scorer, plays his final game at Madison Square Garden as a teammate of the New York Rangers in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gretzky recorded his final career point, an assist, bringing his career point total to 2,857.
- 2007 – A series of bombings, two of them being suicides, occur in Baghdad, killing 198 and injuring 251.
- 2013 – A suicide bombing in a Baghdad cafe kills 27 people and injures another 65.
- 2018 – King Mswati III of Swaziland announces that his country’s name will change to Eswatini.
- 2019 – A redacted version of the Mueller Report is released to the United States Congress and the public.
- 2020 – Coronavirus Pandemic: Europe surpasses 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Births on April 18
- 359 – Gratian, Roman emperor (d. 383)
- 588 – K’an II, Mayan ruler (d. 658)
- 812 – Al-Wathiq, Abbasid caliph (d. 847)
- 1446 – Ippolita Maria Sforza, Italian noble (d. 1484)
- 1480 – Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI
- 1503 – Henry II of Navarre, (d. 1555)
- 1534 – William Harrison, English clergyman (d. 1593)
- 1580 – Thomas Middleton, English Jacobean playwright and poet (d. 1627)
- 1590 – Ahmed I, Ottoman Emperor (d. 1617)
- 1605 – Giacomo Carissimi, Italian priest and composer (d. 1674)
- 1666 – Jean-Féry Rebel, French violinist and composer (d. 1747)
- 1740 – Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, English banker and politician (d. 1810)
- 1759 – Jacques Widerkehr, French cellist and composer (d. 1823)
- 1771 – Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (d. 1820)
- 1772 – David Ricardo, British economist and politician (d. 1823)
- 1794 – William Debenham, English founder of Debenhams (d. 1863)
- 1797 – Adolphe Thiers, French historian and politician, 2nd President of France (d. 1877)
- 1813 – James McCune Smith, African-American physician, apothecary, abolitionist, and author (d. 1865)
- 1819 – Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Cuban lawyer and activist (d. 1874)
- 1819 – Franz von Suppé, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1895)
- 1838 – Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, French chemist and academic (d. 1912)
- 1854 – Ludwig Levy, German architect (d. 1907)
- 1857 – Clarence Darrow, American lawyer (d. 1938)
- 1858 – Dhondo Keshav Karve, Indian educator and activist, Bharat Ratna Awardee (d. 1962)
- 1858 – Alexander Shirvanzade, Armenian playwright and author (d. 1935)
- 1863 – Count Leopold Berchtold, Austrian-Hungarian politician and diplomat, Joint Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary (d. 1942)
- 1863 – Linton Hope, English sailor and architect (d. 1920)
- 1864 – Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (d. 1916)
- 1874 – Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, Croatian author and poet (d. 1938)
- 1877 – Vicente Sotto, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1950)
- 1879 – Korneli Kekelidze, Georgian philologist and scholar (d. 1962)
- 1880 – Sam Crawford, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (d. 1968)
- 1882 – Isaac Babalola Akinyele, Nigerian ruler (d. 1964)
- 1882 – Leopold Stokowski, English conductor (d. 1977)
- 1884 – Jaan Anvelt, Estonian educator and politician (d. 1937)
- 1888 – Duffy Lewis, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1979)
- 1889 – Jessie Street, Australian activist (d. 1970)
- 1892 – Eugene Houdry, French-American mechanical engineer and inventor (d. 1962)
- 1893 – Violette Morris, French shot putter and discus thrower (d. 1944)
- 1897 – Ardito Desio, Italian geologist and cartographer (d. 2001)
- 1897 – Per-Erik Hedlund, Swedish skier (d. 1975)
- 1898 – Patrick Hennessy, Irish soldier and businessman (d. 1981)
- 1900 – Bertha Isaacs, Bahamian teacher, tennis player, politician and women’s rights activist (d. 1997)
- 1901 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (d. 1967)
- 1901 – László Németh, Hungarian dentist, author, and playwright (d. 1975)
- 1902 – Waldemar Hammenhög, Swedish author (d. 1972)
- 1902 – Giuseppe Pella, Italian politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Italy (d. 1981)
- 1904 – Pigmeat Markham, African-American comedian, singer, and dancer (d. 1981)
- 1905 – Sydney Halter, Canadian lawyer and businessman (d. 1990)
- 1905 – George H. Hitchings, American physician and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
- 1907 – Miklós Rózsa, Hungarian-American composer and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1911 – Ilario Bandini, Italian businessman and racing driver (d. 1992)
- 1911 – Maurice Goldhaber, Ukrainian Jewish-American physicist and academic (d. 2011)
- 1914 – Claire Martin, Canadian author (d. 2014)
- 1915 – Joy Davidman, Polish-Ukrainian Jewish American poet and author (d. 1960)
- 1916 – Carl Burgos, American illustrator (d. 1984)
- 1916 – Doug Peden, Canadian basketball player (d. 2005)
- 1917 – Ty LaForest, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1947)
- 1918 – Gabriel Axel, Danish-French actor, director, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1918 – André Bazin, French critic and theorist (d. 1958)
- 1918 – Shinobu Hashimoto, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2018)
- 1918 – Clifton Hillegass, American publisher, founded CliffsNotes (d. 2001)
- 1918 – Tony Mottola, American guitarist and composer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Virginia O’Brien, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
- 1919 – Esther Afua Ocloo, Ghanaian entrepreneur and pioneer of microlending (d. 2002)
- 1920 – John F. Wiley, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
- 1921 – Jean Richard, French actor and singer (d. 2001)
- 1922 – Barbara Hale, American actress (d. 2017)
- 1922 – Lord Kitchener, Trinidadian singer (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Alfred Bieler, Swiss ice hockey player (d. 2013)
- 1923 – Beryl Platt, Baroness Platt of Writtle, English engineer and politician (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1924 – Henry Hyde, American commander, lawyer, and politician (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Roy Mason, English miner and politician, Secretary of State for Defence (d. 2015)
- 1925 – Marcus Schmuck, Austrian mountaineer and author (d. 2005)
- 1926 – Doug Insole, English cricketer (d. 2017)
- 1927 – Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist, author, and academic (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Polish journalist and politician, Prime Minister of Poland (d. 2013)
- 1927 – Charles Pasqua, French businessman and politician, French Minister of the Interior (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Karl Josef Becker, German cardinal and theologian (d. 2015)
- 1928 – Otto Piene, German sculptor and academic (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Peter Hordern, English soldier and politician
- 1930 – Clive Revill, New Zealand actor and singer
- 1931 – Bill Miles, American director and producer (d. 2013)
- 1934 – James Drury, American actor (d. 2020)
- 1934 – George Shirley, African-American tenor and educator
- 1935 – Brian Clay, Australian rugby league player (d. 1987)
- 1935 – Costas Ferris, Egyptian-Greek actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1936 – Roger Graef, American-English criminologist, director, and producer
- 1936 – Vladimir Hütt, Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1997)
- 1936 – “TV” Tommy Ivo, American actor and drag racer
- 1937 – Jan Kaplický, Czech architect, designed the Selfridges Building (d. 2009)
- 1937 – Tatyana Shchelkanova, Russian long jumper and heptathlete (d. 2011)
- 1937 – Teddy Taylor, Scottish journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
- 1939 – Glen Hardin, American pianist and arranger
- 1939 – Thomas J. Moyer, American lawyer and judge (d. 2010)
- 1940 – Joseph L. Goldstein, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Mike Vickers, English guitarist, saxophonist, and songwriter
- 1941 – Michael D. Higgins, Irish sociologist and politician, 9th President of Ireland
- 1942 – Michael Beloff, English lawyer and academic
- 1942 – Steve Blass, American baseball player and sportscaster
- 1942 – Robert Christgau, American journalist and critic
- 1942 – Jochen Rindt, German-Austrian racing driver (d. 1970)
- 1944 – Kathy Acker, American author and poet (d. 1997)
- 1944 – Frances D’Souza, Baroness D’Souza, English academic and politician
- 1944 – Robert Hanssen, American FBI agent and double agent
- 1944 – Philip Jackson, Scottish sculptor and photographer
- 1945 – Bernard Arcand, Canadian anthropologist and author (d. 2009)
- 1945 – Richard Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
- 1945 – Robert Bausch, American novelist and short story writer
- 1946 – Hayley Mills, English actress
- 1946 – Tommy Shannon, American bass guitarist
- 1947 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (d. 2013)
- 1947 – Dorothy Lyman, American actress
- 1947 – Cindy Pickett, American actress
- 1947 – Jerzy Stuhr, Polish actor, director, and screenwriter
- 1947 – James Woods, American actor and producer
- 1948 – Régis Wargnier, French director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1949 – Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
- 1950 – Paul Callery, Australian footballer
- 1950 – Tina Chow, American model and jewelry designer (d. 1992)
- 1950 – Kenny Ortega, American director, producer, and choreographer
- 1950 – Grigory Sokolov, Russian pianist and composer
- 1951 – Ricardo Fortaleza, Australian-Filipino boxer and coach
- 1951 – Pierre Pettigrew, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1953 – Rick Moranis, Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter
- 1954 – Robert Greenberg, American pianist and composer
- 1956 – Chris Jones, English footballer
- 1956 – Eric Roberts, American actor
- 1957 – Ian Campbell, Australian jumper
- 1958 – Gabi Delgado-López, Spanish-German singer, co-founder of D.A.F.
- 1958 – Malcolm Marshall, Barbadian cricketer and coach (d. 1999)
- 1959 – Susan Faludi, American journalist and author
- 1959 – Frank Mulholland, Lord Mulholland, Scottish judge, former Solicitor General for Scotland and Lord Advocate
- 1960 – John Chiedozie, Nigerian international footballer
- 1960 – Yelena Zhupiyeva-Vyazova, Ukrainian runner
- 1961 – Kelly Hansen, American singer-songwriter
- 1961 – Jane Leeves, English actress and dancer
- 1961 – John Podhoretz, American journalist and author
- 1962 – Jeff Dunham, American comedian and ventriloquist
- 1962 – Nick Farr-Jones, Australian rugby player and sportscaster
- 1963 – Eric McCormack, Canadian-American actor and producer
- 1963 – Conan O’Brien, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and talk show host
- 1963 – Phil Simmons, Trinidadian cricketer
- 1963 – Peter Van Loan, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of International Trade
- 1964 – Niall Ferguson, Scottish historian and academic
- 1964 – Rithy Panh, Cambodian director and screenwriter
- 1966 – Valeri Kamensky, Russian ice hockey player
- 1967 – Maria Bello, American actress and writer
- 1969 – Keith DeCandido, American author
- 1969 – Stefan Schwarz, Swedish footballer and manager
- 1969 – Robert Změlík, Czech decathlete
- 1970 – Rico Brogna, American baseball player and coach
- 1970 – Greg Eklund, American drummer and guitarist
- 1970 – Saad Hariri, Saudi Arabian-Lebanese businessman and politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Lebanon
- 1970 – François Leroux, Canadian ice hockey player and radio host
- 1970 – Tatiana Stefanidou, Greek journalist and talk show host
- 1971 – Oleg Petrov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1971 – Graham Rowntree, English rugby player
- 1971 – David Tennant, Scottish actor
- 1972 – Rosa Clemente, American journalist and activist
- 1972 – Eli Roth, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1972 – Michael Rutter, English motorcycle racer
- 1973 – Derrick Brooks, American football player
- 1973 – Brady Clark, American baseball player
- 1973 – Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopian runner
- 1974 – Millie Corretjer, Puerto Rican-American actress and singer
- 1974 – Mark Tremonti, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1976 – Gavin Creel, American actor and singer
- 1976 – Melissa Joan Hart, American actress, director, and producer
- 1976 – Andrew Ilie, Romanian-Australian tennis player
- 1976 – Justin Ross, American politician
- 1976 – Staffan Strand, Swedish high jumper
- 1977 – Dan LaCouture, American ice hockey player
- 1977 – Cindy Taylor, Paraguayan model and actress
- 1979 – Michael Bradley, American basketball player and coach
- 1979 – Ethan Cohn, American actor
- 1979 – Matt Cooper, Australian rugby league player
- 1979 – Anthony Davidson, English racing driver
- 1979 – Kourtney Kardashian, American model and businesswoman
- 1980 – Rabiu Afolabi, Nigerian footballer and manager
- 1980 – Justin Levens, American mixed martial artist (d. 2008)
- 1981 – Brian Buscher, American baseball player
- 1981 – Milan Jovanović, Serbian footballer
- 1981 – Aldo Ramírez, Colombian footballer
- 1981 – Audrey Tang, Taiwanese computer scientist and academic
- 1982 – Ibrahim al-Asiri, Saudi Arabian terrorist
- 1982 – Greg Camarillo, American football player
- 1982 – Ricardo Colclough, Canadian-American football player
- 1982 – Simone Farina, Italian footballer
- 1982 – Scott Hartnell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Blair Late, American singer-songwriter and journalist
- 1982 – Darren Sutherland, Irish boxer (d. 2009)
- 1982 – Marie-Élaine Thibert, Canadian singer
- 1983 – Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1983 – Reeve Carney, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
- 1984 – Red Bryant, American football player
- 1984 – America Ferrera, American actress and producer
- 1985 – Łukasz Fabiański, Polish footballer
- 1986 – Billy Butler, American baseball player
- 1986 – Maurice Edu, American soccer player
- 1986 – Taylor Griffin, American basketball player
- 1986 – Conrad Logan, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Efraín Velarde, Mexican footballer
- 1987 – Brett Deledio, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Danny Guthrie, English footballer
- 1987 – Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, English model and actress
- 1987 – Samantha Jade, Australian singer-songwriter and actress
- 1987 – Ivan Tričkovski, Macedonian footballer
- 1988 – Andre Frolov, Estonian footballer
- 1988 – Alexander Hauck, South African-German rugby player
- 1989 – Jessica Jung, Korean American singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer
- 1990 – Henderson Álvarez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1990 – Anna van der Breggen, Dutch cyclist
- 1990 – Jake Howells, English footballer
- 1990 – Wojciech Szczęsny, Polish footballer
- 1990 – Junior Torunarigha, Nigerian footballer
- 1993 – Matt Salisbury, English cricketer
- 1993 – Nathan Sykes, English singer-songwriter
- 1995 – Divock Origi, Belgian footballer
- 1996 – Mariah Bell, American figure skater
- 1996 – Ioana Ducu, Romanian tennis player
- 1997 – Matthias Blübaum, German chess grandmaster
- 1997 – Donny van de Beek, Dutch footballer
Deaths on April 18
- 727 – Agallianos Kontoskeles, Byzantine commander and rebel leader
- 850 – Perfectus, Spanish monk and martyr
- 909 – Dionysius II, Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
- 943 – Fujiwara no Atsutada, Japanese nobleman and poet (b. 906)
- 963 – Stephen Lekapenos, co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire
- 1161 – Theobald of Bec, French-English archbishop (b. 1090)
- 1176 – Galdino della Sala, Italian archdeacon and saint
- 1552 – John Leland, English poet and historian (b. 1502)
- 1555 – Polydore Vergil, English historian (b. 1470)
- 1556 – Luigi Alamanni, Italian poet and politician (b. 1495)
- 1567 – Wilhelm von Grumbach, German adventurer (b. 1503)
- 1587 – John Foxe, English historian and author (b. 1516)
- 1636 – Julius Caesar, English judge and politician (b. 1557)
- 1650 – Simonds d’Ewes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1602)
- 1674 – John Graunt, English demographer and statistician (b. 1620)
- 1689 – George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, Welsh judge and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1648)
- 1732 – Louis Feuillée, French astronomer, geographer, and botanist (b. 1660)
- 1742 – Arvid Horn, Swedish general and politician (b. 1664)
- 1763 – Marie-Josephte Corriveau, Canadian murderer (b. 1733)
- 1794 – Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, English lawyer, judge, and politician, Lord Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1714)
- 1796 – Johan Wilcke, Swedish physicist and academic (b. 1732)
- 1802 – Erasmus Darwin, English physician and botanist (b. 1731)
- 1832 – Jeanne-Elisabeth Chaudet, French painter (b. 1761)
- 1859 – Tatya Tope, Indian general (b. 1814)
- 1864 – Juris Alunāns, Latvian philologist and linguist (b. 1832)
- 1873 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (b. 1803)
- 1898 – Gustave Moreau, French painter and academic (b. 1826)
- 1906 – Luis Martín, Spanish religious leader, 24th Superior-General of the Society of Jesus (b. 1846)
- 1912 – Martha Ripley, American physician (b. 1843)
- 1917 – Vladimir Serbsky, Russian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1858)
- 1923 – Savina Petrilli, Italian religious leader (b. 1851)
- 1936 – Milton Brown, American singer and bandleader (b. 1903)
- 1936 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1879)
- 1938 – George Bryant, American archer (b. 1878)
- 1942 – Aleksander Mitt, Estonian speed skater (b. 1903)
- 1942 – Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American heiress, sculptor and art collector, founded the Whitney Museum of American Art (b. 1875)
- 1943 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (b. 1884)
- 1945 – John Ambrose Fleming, English physicist and engineer, invented the vacuum tube (b. 1849)
- 1945 – Ernie Pyle, American journalist and soldier (b. 1900)
- 1947 – Jozef Tiso, Slovak priest and politician, President of Slovakia (b. 1887)
- 1951 – Óscar Carmona, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 11th President of Portugal (b. 1869)
- 1955 – Albert Einstein, German-American physicist, engineer, and academic (b. 1879)
- 1958 – Maurice Gamelin, Belgian-French general (b. 1872)
- 1959 – Irving Cummings, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1888)
- 1959 – Percy Smith, English footballer and manager (b. 1880)
- 1963 – Meyer Jacobstein, American academic and politician (b. 1880)
- 1964 – Ben Hecht, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1894)
- 1965 – Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican engineer (b. 1917)
- 1967 – Karl Miller, German footballer (b. 1913)
- 1974 – Marcel Pagnol, French author, playwright, and director (b. 1895)
- 1986 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (b. 1892)
- 1988 – Pierre Desproges, French journalist and actor (b. 1939)
- 1988 – Oktay Rıfat Horozcu, Turkish poet and playwright (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Arturo Frondizi, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Argentina (b. 1908)
- 1996 – Brook Berringer, American football player (b. 1973)
- 1996 – Bernard Edwards, American bass player and producer (b. 1952)
- 1997 – Edward Barker, English cartoonist (b. 1950)
- 1998 – Terry Sanford, American lieutenant and politician, 65th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1917)
- 2002 – Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Wahoo McDaniel, American football player and wrestler (b. 1938)
- 2003 – Edgar F. Codd, English-American soldier, pilot, and computer scientist (b. 1923)
- 2004 – Kamisese Mara, Fijian politician, 2nd President of Fiji (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Sam Mills, American football player and coach (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Mercedes Palomino, Spanish-born Quebec actor and theatre director (b. 1913)
- 2007 – Iccho Itoh, Japanese politician (b. 1945)
- 2008 – Germaine Tillion, French ethnologist and anthropologist (b. 1907)
- 2012 – Dick Clark, American television host and producer, founded Dick Clark Productions (b. 1929)
- 2012 – René Lépine, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1929)
- 2012 – K. D. Wentworth, American author (b. 1951)
- 2013 – Cordell Mosson, American bass player (b. 1952)
- 2013 – Steuart Pringle, English general (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Goran Švob, Croatian philosopher and author (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Anne Williams, English activist (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Guru Dhanapal, Indian director and producer (b. 1959)
- 2014 – Sanford Jay Frank, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1954)
- 2014 – Eduard Kosolapov, Russian footballer (b. 1976)
- 2014 – David McClarty, Northern Irish politician (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Brian Priestman, English conductor and academic (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (b. 1994)
- 2015 – Roger Lobo, Macanese-Hong Kong businessman and politician (b. 1923)
- 2015 – Erwin Waldner, German footballer (b. 1933)
- 2016 – Aleah Stanbridge, Swedish singer (b. 1977)
- 2017 – Vic Albury, Major League pitcher (b. 1947)
- 2018 – Bruno Sammartino, Italian professional wrestler (b. 1935)
- 2018 – Dale Winton, British television presenter (b. 1955)
- 2019 – Lorraine Warren, American paranormal investigator. (b. 1927)
Holidays and observances on April 18
- Christian feast day:
- Apollonius the Apologist
- Corebus
- Cyril VI of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Eleutherius and Antia
- Galdino della Sala
- Molaise of Leighlin
- Perfectus
- Plato of Sakkoudion
- April 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Army Day (Iran)
- Coma Patients’ Day (Poland)
- Friend’s Day (Brazil)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Zimbabwe from the United Kingdom in 1980.
- International Day For Monuments and Sites
- Invention Day (Japan)
- Victory over the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of the Ice (Russia)
-
April 13 in History
- 1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.
- 1612 – Miyamoto Musashi defeats Sasaki Kojirō at Funajima island.
- 1613 – Samuel Argall, having captured Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia, sets off with her to Jamestown with the intention of exchanging her for English prisoners held by her father.
- 1742 – George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.
- 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces are ambushed and defeated in the Battle of Bound Brook, New Jersey.
- 1829 – The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 gives Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.
- 1849 – Lajos Kossuth presents the Hungarian Declaration of Independence in a closed session of the National Assembly.
- 1861 – American Civil War: Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederate forces.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Raleigh, North Carolina is occupied by Union Forces.
- 1870 – The New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded.
- 1873 – The Colfax massacre, in which more than 60 black men are murdered, takes place.
- 1909 – The military of the Ottoman Empire reverses the Ottoman countercoup of 1909 to force the overthrow of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
- 1919 – Jallianwala Bagh massacre: British Indian Army troops lead by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer killed approx 379-1000 unarmed demonstrators including men and women in Amritsar, India; and approximately 1,500 injured.
- 1941 – A pact of neutrality between the USSR and Japan is signed.
- 1943 – World War II: The discovery of mass graves of Polish prisoners of war killed by Soviet forces in the Katyń Forest Massacre is announced, causing a diplomatic rift between the Polish government-in-exile in London and the Soviet Union, which denies responsibility.
- 1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson’s birth.
- 1944 – Relations between New Zealand and the Soviet Union are established.
- 1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.
- 1945 – World War II: Soviet and Bulgarian forces capture Vienna.
- 1948 – In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
- 1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.
- 1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn is awarded first prize at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
- 1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world’s first satellite navigation system.
- 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
- 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey“) while en route to the Moon.
- 1972 – The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.
- 1975 – An attack by the Phalangist resistance kills 26 militia members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, marking the start of the 15-year Lebanese Civil War.
- 1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson’s 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.
- 1976 – Forty workers die in an explosion at the Lapua ammunition factory, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.
- 1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.
- 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.
- 2003 – A bus near the Vale of Tempe, Greece was involved in a major vehicle accident with a truck and multiple cars, leaving 21 students in the tenth grade of Makrochori, Imathia High School dead and nine injured during their return to their homes from a trip to Athens.
- 2017 – The US drops the largest ever non-nuclear weapon on Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Births on April 13
- 1229 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1294)
- 1350 – Margaret III, Countess of Flanders (d. 1405)
- 1506 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1546)
- 1519 – Catherine de’ Medici, Italian-French wife of Henry II of France (d. 1589)
- 1570 – Guy Fawkes, English soldier, planned the Gunpowder Plot (probable; d. 1606)
- 1573 – Christina of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1625)
- 1593 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1641)
- 1618 – Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy, French author (d. 1693)
- 1636 – Hendrik van Rheede, Dutch botanist (d. 1691)
- 1648 – Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, French mystic (d. 1717)
- 1713 – Pierre Jélyotte, French tenor (d. 1797)
- 1729 – Thomas Percy, Irish bishop and poet (d. 1811)
- 1732 – Frederick North, Lord North, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1792)
- 1735 – Isaac Low, American merchant and politician, founded the New York Chamber of Commerce (d. 1791)
- 1743 – Thomas Jefferson, American lawyer and politician, 3rd President of the United States (d. 1826)
- 1747 – Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1793)
- 1764 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1830)
- 1769 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (d. 1830)
- 1771 – Richard Trevithick, Cornish-English engineer and explorer (d. 1833)
- 1780 – Alexander Mitchell, Irish engineer, invented the Screw-pile lighthouse (d. 1868)
- 1784 – Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (d. 1877)
- 1787 – John Robertson, American lawyer and politician (d. 1873)
- 1794 – Jean Pierre Flourens, French physiologist and academic (d. 1867)
- 1802 – Leopold Fitzinger, Austrian zoologist and herpetologist (d. 1884)
- 1808 – Antonio Meucci, Italian-American engineer (d. 1889)
- 1810 – Félicien David, French composer (d. 1876)
- 1824 – William Alexander, Irish archbishop, poet, and theologian (d. 1911)
- 1825 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist and politician (d. 1868)
- 1828 – Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer (d. 1906)
- 1828 – Joseph Lightfoot, English bishop and theologian (d. 1889)
- 1832 – Juan Montalvo, Ecuadorian author and diplomat (d. 1889)
- 1841 – Louis-Ernest Barrias, French sculptor and academic (d. 1905)
- 1850 – Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, Irish astronomer (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Robert Abbe, American surgeon and radiologist (d. 1928)
- 1851 – William Quan Judge, Irish occultist and theosophist (d. 1896)
- 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman, founded the F. W. Woolworth Company (d. 1919)
- 1854 – Lucy Craft Laney, Founder of the Haines Normal and Industrial School, Augusta, Georgia (d. 1933)
- 1860 – James Ensor, English-Belgian painter (d. 1949)
- 1866 – Butch Cassidy, American criminal (d. 1908)
- 1872 – John Cameron, Scottish international footballer and manager (d. 1935)
- 1872 – Alexander Roda Roda, Austrian-Croatian journalist and author (d. 1945)
- 1873 – John W. Davis, American lawyer and politician, 14th United States Solicitor General (d. 1955)
- 1875 – Ray Lyman Wilbur, American physician, academic, and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1949)
- 1879 – Edward Bruce, American lawyer and painter (d. 1943)
- 1879 – Oswald Bruce Cooper, American type designer, lettering artist, graphic designer, and educator (d. 1940)
- 1880 – Charles Christie, Canadian-American businessman, co-founded the Christie Film Company (d. 1955)
- 1885 – Vean Gregg, American baseball player (d. 1964)
- 1885 – Juhan Kukk, Estonian politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1942)
- 1885 – György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher and critic (d. 1971)
- 1885 – Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy, Dutch politician (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Gordon S. Fahrni, Canadian physician and golfer (d. 1995)
- 1889 – Herbert Yardley, American cryptologist and author (d. 1958)
- 1890 – Frank Murphy, American jurist and politician, 56th United States Attorney General (d. 1949)
- 1890 – Dadasaheb Torne, Indian director and producer (d. 1960)
- 1891 – Maurice Buckley, Australian sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (d. 1921)
- 1891 – Nella Larsen, Danish/African-American nurse, librarian, and author (d. 1964)
- 1891 – Robert Scholl, German accountant and politician (d. 1973)
- 1892 – Sir Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet, English air marshal (d. 1984)
- 1892 – Robert Watson-Watt, Scottish engineer, invented Radar (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Arthur Fadden, Australian accountant and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1973)
- 1894 – Joie Ray, American runner (d. 1978)
- 1896 – Fred Barnett, English footballer (d. 1982)
- 1897 – Werner Voss, German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1917)
- 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American architect and game designer, created Scrabble (d. 1993)
- 1899 – Harold Osborn, American high jumper and decathlete (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Sorcha Boru, American potter and ceramic sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1900 – Pierre Molinier, French painter and photographer (d. 1976)
- 1901 – Jacques Lacan, French psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Alan Watt, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian Ambassador to Japan (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Philippe de Rothschild, French Grand Prix driver, playwright, and producer (d. 1988)
- 1902 – Marguerite Henry, American author (d. 1997)
- 1904 – David Robinson, English businessman and philanthropist (d. 1987)
- 1905 – Rae Johnstone, Australian jockey (d. 1964)
- 1906 – Samuel Beckett, Irish novelist, poet, and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1989)
- 1906 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Harold Stassen, American lawyer and politician, 25th Governor of Minnesota (d. 2001)
- 1909 – Eudora Welty, American short story writer and novelist (d. 2001)
- 1911 – Ico Hitrec, Croatian footballer and manager (d. 1946)
- 1911 – Jean-Louis Lévesque, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (d. 1994)
- 1911 – Nino Sanzogno, Italian conductor and composer (d. 1983)
- 1913 – Dave Albritton, American high jumper and coach (d. 1994)
- 1913 – Kermit Tyler, American lieutenant and pilot (d. 2010)
- 1914 – Orhan Veli Kanık, Turkish poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1916 – Phyllis Fraser, Welsh-American actress, journalist, and publisher, co-founded Beginner Books (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson, American businessman, founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
- 1917 – Bill Clements, American soldier, engineer, and politician, 15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Roland Gaucher, French journalist and politician (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Howard Keel, American actor and singer (d. 2004)
- 1919 – Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American activist, founded American Atheists (d. 1995)
- 1920 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (d. 1982)
- 1920 – Claude Cheysson, French lieutenant and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Liam Cosgrave, Irish lawyer and politician, 6th Taoiseach of Ireland (d. 2017)
- 1920 – Theodore L. Thomas, American chemical engineer, Patent attorney and writer (d. 2005)
- 1922 – Heinz Baas, German footballer and manager (d. 1994)
- 1922 – John Braine, English librarian and author (d. 1986)
- 1922 – Julius Nyerere, Tanzanian politician and teacher, 1st President of Tanzania (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Valve Pormeister, Estonian architect (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Don Adams, American actor and director (d. 2005)
- 1923 – A. H. Halsey, English sociologist and academic (d. 2014)
- 1923 – Stanley Tanger, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (d. 2010)
- 1924 – John T. Biggers, American painter (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Jack T. Chick, American author, illustrator, and publisher (d. 2016)
- 1924 – Stanley Donen, American film director and choreographer (d. 2019)
- 1926 – Ellie Lambeti, Greek actress (d. 1983)
- 1926 – John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, English businessman (d. 2014)
- 1927 – Rosemary Haughton, English philosopher, theologian, and author
- 1927 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (d. 1977)
- 1927 – Maurice Ronet, French actor and director (d. 1983)
- 1928 – Alan Clark, English historian and politician, Minister of State for Trade (d. 1999)
- 1928 – Gianni Marzotto, Italian racing driver and businessman (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Marilynn Smith, American golfer (d. 2019)
- 1931 – Anita Cerquetti, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
- 1931 – Robert Enrico, French director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
- 1931 – Dan Gurney, American race car driver and engineer (d. 2018)
- 1931 – Jon Stone, American composer, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1997)
- 1932 – Orlando Letelier, Chilean-American economist and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1976)
- 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, American soldier and politician
- 1934 – John Muckler, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager
- 1936 – Pierre Rosenberg, French historian and academic
- 1937 – Col Joye, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1937 – Edward Fox, English actor
- 1937 – Lanford Wilson, American playwright, co-founded the Circle Repertory Company (d. 2011)
- 1938 – Klaus Lehnertz, German pole vaulter
- 1938 – John Weston, English poet and diplomat
- 1939 – Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Paul Sorvino, American actor and singer
- 1940 – Mike Beuttler, Egyptian-English racing driver (d. 1988)
- 1940 – Lester Chambers, American singer and musician
- 1940 – J. M. G. Le Clézio, Breton French-Mauritian author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1940 – Vladimir Cosma, French composer, conductor and violinist
- 1940 – Jim McNab, Scottish footballer (d. 2006)
- 1940 – Max Mosley, English racing driver and engineer, co-founded March Engineering, former president of the FIA
- 1940 – Ruby Puryear Hearn, African-American biophysicist
- 1941 – Michael Stuart Brown, American geneticist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1941 – Jean-Marc Reiser, French author and illustrator (d. 1983)
- 1942 – Bill Conti, American composer and conductor
- 1943 – Alan Jones, Australian rugby coach, radio host, and educator
- 1943 – Billy Kidd, American skier
- 1943 – Tim Krabbé, Dutch journalist and author
- 1943 – Philip Norman, English journalist, author, and playwright
- 1944 – Franco Arese, Italian runner
- 1944 – Charles Burnett, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1944 – Jack Casady, American bass guitarist
- 1944 – Susan Davis, Russian-American social worker and politician
- 1945 – Ed Caruthers, American high jumper
- 1945 – Tony Dow, American actor
- 1945 – Lowell George, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1979)
- 1945 – Bob Kalsu, American football player and lieutenant (d. 1970)
- 1945 – Judy Nunn, Australian actress and author
- 1946 – Al Green, American singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor
- 1947 – Rae Armantrout, American poet and academic
- 1947 – Mike Chapman, Australian-English songwriter and producer
- 1947 – Jean-Jacques Laffont, French economist and academic (d. 2004)
- 1947 – Yves Landry, Canadian cyclist
- 1948 – Nam Hae-il, South Korean admiral
- 1948 – Drago Jančar, Slovenian author and playwright
- 1948 – Mikhail Shufutinsky, Soviet and Russian singer, actor, TV presenter
- 1949 – Len Cook, New Zealand-English mathematician and statistician
- 1949 – Frank Doran, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, English-American essayist, literary critic, and journalist (d. 2011)
- 1949 – Ricardo Zunino, Argentinian racing driver
- 1950 – Ron Perlman, American actor
- 1950 – Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1951 – Leszek Borysiewicz, Welsh immunologist and academic
- 1951 – Peabo Bryson, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1951 – Peter Davison, English actor
- 1951 – Joachim Streich, German footballer and manager
- 1951 – Max Weinberg, American drummer
- 1952 – Sam Bush, American mandolin player
- 1952 – David Drew, English lawyer and politician
- 1952 – Gabrielle Gourdeau, Canadian writer (d. 2006)
- 1952 – Jonjo O’Neill, Irish jockey and trainer
- 1953 – Stephen Byers, English politician
- 1953 – Dany Laferrière, Haitian-Canadian journalist and author
- 1954 – Jimmy Destri, American keyboard player and songwriter
- 1954 – Niels Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Barbara Roche, English lawyer and politician
- 1955 – Steve Camp, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Muwenda Mutebi II, current King of Buganda Kingdom
- 1955 – Louis Johnson, American bass player and producer (d. 2015)
- 1955 – Lupe Pintor, Mexican boxer
- 1955 – Ole von Beust, German lawyer and politician, 1st Mayor of Hamburg
- 1956 – Possum Bourne, New Zealand racing driver (d. 2003)
- 1956 – Alan Devonshire, English footballer and manager
- 1956 – Edward Forbes Smiley III, American art thief and map dealer
- 1957 – Amy Goodman, American journalist and author
- 1957 – Saundra Santiago, American actress
- 1960 – Lyn Brown, English social worker and politician
- 1960 – Bob Casey, Jr., American lawyer and politician, senior senator of Pennsylvania
- 1960 – Olaf Ludwig, German cyclist and manager
- 1960 – Rudi Völler, German footballer and manager
- 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto, American bass player and songwriter
- 1962 – Hillel Slovak, Israeli-American guitarist (d. 1988)
- 1963 – Garry Kasparov, Russian chess player and author
- 1964 – Davis Love III, American golfer and sportscaster
- 1964 – Caroline Rhea, Canadian actress and comedian
- 1964 – John Swinney, Scottish businessman and politician, Deputy First Minister of Scotland
- 1965 – Patricio Pouchulu, Argentinian architect and educator
- 1966 – Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian footballer
- 1966 – Marc Ford, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1967 – Dana Barros, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1967 – Michael Eisen, American biologist and academic
- 1967 – Olga Tañón, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter
- 1968 – Ted Washington, American football player
- 1969 – Dirk Muschiol, German footballer
- 1970 – Monty Brown, American football player and wrestler
- 1970 – Gerry Creaney, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1970 – Nick Garrett, English singer
- 1970 – Szilveszter Csollány, Hungarian gymnast
- 1970 – Ricardo Rincón, Mexican-American baseball player
- 1970 – Ricky Schroder, American actor
- 1971 – Franck Esposito, French swimmer
- 1971 – Danie Mellor, Australian painter and sculptor
- 1971 – Bo Outlaw, American basketball player
- 1971 – Valensia, Dutch singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
- 1972 – Mariusz Czerkawski, Polish ice hockey player and golfer
- 1972 – Aaron Lewis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1974 – Valentina Cervi, Italian actress
- 1974 – Sergei Gonchar, Russian ice hockey player
- 1974 – Darren Turner, English racing driver
- 1974 – David Zdrilic, Australian footballer and manager
- 1975 – Jasey-Jay Anderson, Canadian snowboarder
- 1975 – Lou Bega, German singer-songwriter
- 1975 – Bruce Dyer, English footballer
- 1975 – Tatiana Navka, Russian ice dancer
- 1976 – Jonathan Brandis, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1976 – Patrik Eliáš, Czech-American ice hockey player
- 1976 – Glenn Howerton, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1977 – Margus Tsahkna, Estonian lawyer and politician
- 1978 – Arron Asham, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 – Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer
- 1978 – Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
- 1978 – Keydrick Vincent, American football player
- 1979 – Gréta Arn, Hungarian tennis player
- 1979 – Baron Davis, American basketball player
- 1979 – Tony Lundon, Irish singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
- 1979 – Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player
- 1980 – Colleen Clinkenbeard, American voice actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1980 – Jason Maguire, Irish jockey
- 1980 – Alan Melikdjanian, American independent filmmaker and YouTuber
- 1980 – Quentin Richardson, American basketball player
- 1981 – Nat Borchers, American soccer player
- 1981 – Gemma Doyle, Scottish politician
- 1982 – Nellie McKay, British-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress
- 1983 – Claudio Bravo, Chilean footballer
- 1983 – Schalk Burger, South African rugby player
- 1983 – Nicole Cooke, Welsh cyclist
- 1983 – Hunter Pence, American baseball player
- 1984 – Jarmo Ahjupera, Estonian footballer
- 1984 – Anders Lindegaard, Danish footballer
- 1985 – Anna Jennings-Edquist, Australian actress, director, and playwright
- 1985 – Algo Kärp, Estonian skier
- 1985 – Cody Nickson, American reality television personality
- 1986 – Michael Bingham, American-English sprinter
- 1986 – Lorenzo Cain, American baseball player
- 1987 – Brandon Hardesty, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1987 – Massimiliano Pesenti, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Allison Weiss, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Anderson, Brazilian footballer
- 1988 – Petteri Koponen, Finnish basketball player
- 1988 – Allison Williams, American actress and singer
- 1989 – Ryan Bailey, American sprinter
- 1989 – Dong Dong, Chinese trampolinist
- 1989 – Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova, Belarusian long jumper
- 1989 – Josh Reynolds, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Vladislav Yegin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1990 – Anastasija Sevastova, a professional tennis player from Latvia
- 1991 – Akeem Adams, Trinidadian footballer (d. 2013)
- 1991 – Ulises Dávila, Mexican footballer
- 1991 – Josh Gordon, American football player
- 1992 – Denis Kudryavtsev, Russian hurdler
- 1992 – Jordan Silk, Australian cricketer
- 1993 – Tony Wroten, American basketball player
- 1994 – Ángelo Henríquez, Chilean footballer
- 1994 – Elvis Merzļikins, Latvian ice hockey player
- 1997 – Kyle Walker-Peters, English footballer
Deaths on April 13
- 548 – Lý Nam Đế, Vietnamese emperor (b. 503)
- 585 – Hermenegild, Visigothic prince and saint
- 799 – Paul the Deacon, Italian monk and historian (b. 720)
- 814 – Krum, khan of the Bulgarian Khanate
- 862 – Donald I, king of the Picts (b. 812)
- 989 – Bardas Phokas, Byzantine general
- 1035 – Herbert I, Count of Maine
- 1093 – Vsevolod I of Kiev (b. 1030)
- 1113 – Ida of Lorraine, saint and noblewoman (b. c. 1040)
- 1138 – Simon I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1076)
- 1213 – Guy of Thouars, regent of Brittany
- 1275 – Eleanor of England (b. 1215)
- 1367 – John Tiptoft, 2nd Baron Tibetot (b. 1313)
- 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammannati, Italian architect and sculptor (b. 1511)
- 1605 – Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia (b. 1551)
- 1612 – Sasaki Kojirō, Japanese samurai (b. 1585)
- 1635 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Ottoman prince (b. 1572)
- 1638 – Henri, Duke of Rohan (b. 1579)
- 1641 – Richard Montagu, English bishop (b. 1577)
- 1695 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (b. 1621)
- 1716 – Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, English admiral and politician (b. 1648)
- 1722 – Charles Leslie, Irish priest and theologian (b. 1650)
- 1793 – Pierre Gaspard Chaumette, French botanist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1763)
- 1794 – Nicolas Chamfort, French playwright and poet (b. 1741)
- 1826 – Franz Danzi, German cellist, composer, and conductor (b. 1763)
- 1853 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (b. 1788)
- 1853 – James Iredell, Jr., American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of North Carolina (b. 1788)
- 1855 – Henry De la Beche, English geologist and palaeontologist (b. 1796)
- 1868 – Tewodros II of Ethiopia (b. 1818)
- 1880 – Robert Fortune, Scottish botanist and author (b. 1813)
- 1882 – Bruno Bauer, German historian and philosopher (b. 1809)
- 1886 – John Humphrey Noyes, American religious leader, founded the Oneida Community (b. 1811)
- 1890 – Samuel J. Randall, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 33rd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1828)
- 1899 – James Service, Scottish-Australian politician, 12th Premier of Victoria (b. 1823)
- 1909 – Whitley Stokes, Anglo-Irish lawyer and scholar (b. 1830)
- 1910 – William Quiller Orchardson, Scottish-English painter and educator (b. 1835)
- 1911 – John McLane, Scottish-American politician, 50th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1852)
- 1911 – George Washington Glick, American lawyer and politician, 9th Governor of Kansas (b. 1827)
- 1912 – Takuboku Ishikawa, Japanese poet and author (b. 1886)
- 1917 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1856)
- 1918 – Lavr Kornilov, Russian general (b. 1870)
- 1927 – Georg Voigt, German politician, Mayor of Frankfurt (b. 1866)
- 1936 – Konstantinos Demertzis, Greek politician 129th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1876)
- 1938 – Grey Owl, English-Canadian environmentalist and author (b. 1888)
- 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, American astronomer and academic (b. 1863)
- 1941 – William Twaits, Canadian soccer player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Henk Sneevliet, Dutch politician (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Anton Uesson, Estonian engineer and politician, 17th Mayor of Tallinn (b. 1879)
- 1944 – Cécile Chaminade, French pianist and composer (b. 1857)
- 1945 – Ernst Cassirer, Polish-American philosopher and academic (b. 1874)
- 1954 – Samuel Jones, American high jumper (b. 1880)
- 1954 – Angus Lewis Macdonald, Canadian lawyer and politician, 12th Premier of Nova Scotia (b. 1890)
- 1956 – Emil Nolde, Danish-German painter and educator (b. 1867)
- 1959 – Eduard van Beinum, Dutch pianist, violinist, and conductor (b. 1901)
- 1961 – John A. Bennett, American soldier (b. 1935)
- 1962 – Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician, 29th Governor of California (b. 1876)
- 1966 – Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi colonel and politician, 2nd President of Iraq (b. 1921)
- 1966 – Carlo Carrà, Italian painter (b. 1881)
- 1966 – Georges Duhamel, French soldier and author (b. 1884)
- 1967 – Nicole Berger, French actress (b. 1934)
- 1969 – Alfred Karindi, Estonian pianist and composer (b. 1901)
- 1971 – Michel Brière, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1949)
- 1971 – Juhan Smuul, Estonian author, poet, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1975 – Larry Parks, American actor and singer (b. 1914)
- 1975 – François Tombalbaye, Chadian soldier, academic, and politician, 1st President of Chad (b. 1918)
- 1978 – Jack Chambers, Canadian painter and director (b. 1931)
- 1978 – Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian educator and women’s rights activist (b. 1900)
- 1980 – Markus Höttinger, Austrian racing driver (b. 1956)
- 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, English footballer (b. 1934)
- 1983 – Theodore Stephanides, Greek physician, author, and poet (b. 1896)
- 1984 – Ralph Kirkpatrick, American harp player and musicologist (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Jean Gascon, Canadian actor and director (b. 1920)
- 1992 – Maurice Sauvé, Canadian economist and politician (b. 1923)
- 1992 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (b. 1921)
- 1992 – Daniel Pollock, Australian actor (b. 1968)
- 1993 – Wallace Stegner, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1909)
- 1996 – Leila Mackinlay, English author and educator (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Bryant Bowles, American soldier and activist, founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Alan Cooley, Australian public servant (b. 1920)
- 1997 – Dorothy Frooks, American author and actress (b. 1896)
- 1997 – Voldemar Väli, Estonian wrestler (b. 1903)
- 1998 – Patrick de Gayardon, French skydiver and base jumper (b. 1960)
- 1999 – Ortvin Sarapu, Estonian-New Zealand chess player and author (b. 1924)
- 1999 – Willi Stoph, German engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of East Germany (b. 1914)
- 2000 – Giorgio Bassani, Italian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2000 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player and manager (b. 1910)
- 2004 – Caron Keating, Northern Irish television host (b. 1962)
- 2005 – Don Blasingame, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Phillip Pavia, American painter and sculptor (b. 1912)
- 2005 – Philippe Volter, Belgian actor and director (b. 1959)
- 2006 – Bill Baker, American baseball player, coach, and umpire (b. 1911)
- 2006 – Muriel Spark, Scottish novelist, poet, and critic (b. 1918)
- 2008 – John Archibald Wheeler, American physicist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2009 – Mark Fidrych, American baseball player (b. 1954)
- 2009 – Bruce Snyder, American football player and coach (b. 1940)
- 2009 – George Feigley, American sex cult leader, convicted rapist and two-time prison escapee (b. 1940)
- 2012 – William B. Buffum, American soldier and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Lebanon (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cecil Chaudhry, Pakistani pilot, academic, and activist (b. 1941)
- 2012 – Shūichi Higurashi, Japanese illustrator (b. 1936)
- 2012 – David S. Smith, American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Sweden (b. 1918)
- 2012 – Robert Wigmore, Cook Islander politician, 14th Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Chi Cheng, American bass player (b. 1970)
- 2013 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (b. 1924)
- 2013 – Dean Drummond, American composer and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr., American drummer and composer (b. 1928)
- 2013 – Lin Yang-kang, Taiwanese politician, 29th Vice Premier of the Republic of China (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Fred Enke, American football player (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian-Spanish philosopher and theorist (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Michael Ruppert, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
- 2014 – Rafał Sznajder, Polish fencer (b. 1972)
- 2015 – Gerald Calabrese, American basketball player and politician (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Ronnie Carroll, Irish singer and politician (b. 1934)
- 2015 – Thelma Coyne Long, Australian tennis player and captain (b. 1918)
- 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan journalist and author (b. 1940)
- 2015 – Günter Grass, German novelist, poet, playwright, and illustrator, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1927)
- 2015 – Herb Trimpe, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
- 2016 – Nera White, American basketball player (b. 1935)
- 2017 – Dan Rooney, American football executive and former United States Ambassador to Ireland (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (b. 1945)
- 2019 – Neus Català, Anti-fascist activist (b. 1915)
- 2019 – Yvette Williams, New Zealand athlete (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on April 13
- Christian feast day:
- Hermenegild
- Blessed Ida of Louvain
- Pope Martin I
- April 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Jefferson’s Birthday (United States)
- Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)
- South and Southeast Asian New Year. (see April 14)
- Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)
- Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)
-
April 7 in History
- 451 – Attila the Hun sacks the town of Metz and attacks other cities in Gaul.
- 529 – First draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
- 611 – Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
- 1141 – Empress Matilda became the first female ruler of England, adopting the title ‘Lady of the English’.
- 1348 – Charles University is founded in Prague.
- 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.
- 1541 – Francis Xavier leaves Lisbon on a mission to the Portuguese East Indies.
- 1724 – Premiere performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245, at St. Nicholas Church, Leipzig.
- 1767 – End of Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67).
- 1776 – Captain John Barry and the USS Lexington captures the Edward.
- 1788 – American pioneers to the Northwest Territory establish Marietta, Ohio as the first permanent American settlement in the Northwest Territory.
- 1789 – Selim III became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.
- 1798 – The Mississippi Territory is organized from disputed territory claimed by both the United States and Spain. It is expanded in 1804 and again in 1812.
- 1805 – Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River.
- 1805 – German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna.
- 1827 – John Walker, an English chemist, sells the first friction match that he had invented the previous year.
- 1829 – Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, commences translation of the Book of Mormon, with Oliver Cowdery as his scribe.
- 1831 – Emperor Pedro I of Brazil resigns. He goes to his native Portugal to become King Pedro IV.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Union’s Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee.
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist.
- 1890 – Completion of the first Lake Biwa Canal.
- 1906 – Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.
- 1906 – The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco.
- 1922 – The United States Secretary of the Interior leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms.
- 1927 – The first long-distance public television broadcast (from Washington, D.C., to New York City, displaying the image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover).
- 1933 – Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.)
- 1940 – Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp.
- 1943 – The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches.
- 1943 – Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation.
- 1945 – World War II: The battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by American aircraft during Operation Ten-Go.
- 1945 – World War II: Visoko is liberated by the 7th, 9th, and 17th Krajina brigades from the Tenth division of Yugoslav Partisan forces.
- 1948 – The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations.
- 1949 – The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway; it would run for 1,925 performances and win ten Tony Awards.
- 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his “domino theory” speech during a news conference.
- 1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
- 1964 – IBM announces the System/360.
- 1964 – A bulldozer kills Rev. Bruce W. Klunder, a civil rights activist, during a school segregation protest in Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a riot.
- 1965 – Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate against the termination of the Colville tribe in Washington DC.
- 1968 – Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in an accident during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim.
- 1969 – The Internet’s symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1.
- 1971 – President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization.
- 1976 – Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party (UK) after being arrested for faking his own death.
- 1977 – German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light.
- 1978 – Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter.
- 1980 – During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran.
- 1983 – During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk.
- 1989 – Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway killing 42 sailors.
- 1990 – Iran–Contra affair: John Poindexter is found guilty of five charges for his part in the scandal (the conviction is later reversed on appeal).
- 1990 – A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people.
- 1994 – Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda.
- 1994 – Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy.
- 1995 – First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya.
- 1999 – The World Trade Organization rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
- 2001 – Mars Odyssey is launched.
- 2003 – U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein’s regime falls two days later.
- 2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces.
- 2009 – Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent.
- 2017 – A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people, killing five people and injuring fifteen others.
Births on April 7
- 1206 – Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1253)
- 1330 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent, English nobleman (d. 1352)
- 1470 – Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire (d. 1498)
- 1506 – Francis Xavier, Spanish missionary and saint, co-founded the Society of Jesus (d. 1552)
- 1539 – Tobias Stimmer, Swiss painter and illustrator (d. 1584)
- 1613 – Gerrit Dou, Dutch painter (d. 1675)
- 1644 – François de Neufville, duc de Villeroy, French general (d. 1730)
- 1648 – John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, English poet and politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1721)
- 1652 – Pope Clement XII (d. 1740)
- 1713 – Nicola Sala, Italian composer and theorist (d. 1801)
- 1718 – Hugh Blair, Scottish minister and author (d. 1800)
- 1727 – Michel Adanson, French botanist, entomologist, and mycologist (d. 1806)
- 1763 – Domenico Dragonetti, Italian bassist and composer (d. 1846)
- 1770 – William Wordsworth, English poet (d. 1850)
- 1772 – Charles Fourier, French philosopher and author (d. 1837)
- 1780 – William Ellery Channing, American preacher and theologian (d. 1842)
- 1803 – James Curtiss, American journalist and politician, 11th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1859)
- 1803 – Flora Tristan, French author and activist (d. 1844)
- 1811 – Hasan Tahsini, Albanian astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher (d. 1881)
- 1817 – Francesco Selmi, Italian chemist and patriot (d. 1881)
- 1848 – Randall Davidson, Scottish archbishop (d. 1930)
- 1859 – Walter Camp, American football player and coach (d. 1925)
- 1860 – Will Keith Kellogg, American businessman, founded the Kellogg Company (d. 1951)
- 1867 – Holger Pedersen, Danish linguist and academic (d. 1953)
- 1870 – Gustav Landauer, Jewish-German theorist and activist (d. 1919)
- 1871 – Epifanio de los Santos, Filipino jurist, historian, and scholar (d. 1927)
- 1873 – John McGraw, American baseball player and manager (d. 1934)
- 1874 – Frederick Carl Frieseke, German-American painter (d. 1939)
- 1876 – Fay Moulton, American sprinter, football player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1945)
- 1882 – Bert Ironmonger, Australian cricketer (d. 1971)
- 1882 – Kurt von Schleicher, German general and politician, 23rd Chancellor of Germany (d. 1934)
- 1883 – Gino Severini, Italian-French painter and author (d. 1966)
- 1884 – Clement Smoot, American golfer (d. 1963)
- 1886 – Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and soldier (d. 1971)
- 1889 – Gabriela Mistral, Chilean poet and educator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1957)
- 1890 – Paul Berth, Danish footballer (d. 1969)
- 1890 – Marjory Stoneman Douglas, American journalist and activist (d. 1998)
- 1891 – Ole Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman, founded the Lego Group (d. 1958)
- 1893 – Allen Dulles, American lawyer and diplomat, 5th Director of Central Intelligence (d. 1969)
- 1895 – John Flannagan, American soldier and sculptor (d. 1942)
- 1895 – Margarete Schön, German actress (d. 1985)
- 1896 – Frits Peutz, Dutch architect, designed the Glaspaleis (d. 1974)
- 1897 – Erich Löwenhardt, Polish-German lieutenant and pilot (d. 1918)
- 1897 – Walter Winchell, American journalist and radio host (d. 1972)
- 1899 – Robert Casadesus, French pianist and composer (d. 1972)
- 1900 – Adolf Dymsza, Polish actor (d. 1975)
- 1900 – Tebbs Lloyd Johnson, English race walker (d. 1984)
- 1902 – Eduard Eelma, Estonian footballer (d. 1941)
- 1903 – M. Balasundaram, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician (d. 1965)
- 1903 – Edwin T. Layton, American admiral (d. 1984)
- 1904 – Roland Wilson, Australian economist and statistician (d. 1996)
- 1908 – Percy Faith, Canadian composer, conductor, and bandleader (d. 1976)
- 1908 – Pete Zaremba, American hammer thrower (d. 1994)
- 1909 – Robert Charroux, French author and critic (d. 1978)
- 1913 – Louise Currie, American actress (d. 2013)
- 1913 – Charles Vanik, American soldier, judge, and politician (d. 2007)
- 1914 – Ralph Flanagan, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1995)
- 1915 – Stanley Adams, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1915 – Billie Holiday, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 1959)
- 1915 – Henry Kuttner, American author (d. 1958)
- 1916 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (d. 2003)
- 1917 – R. G. Armstrong, American actor and playwright (d. 2012)
- 1918 – Bobby Doerr, American baseball player and coach (d. 2017)
- 1919 – Roger Lemelin, Canadian author and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1919 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Ravi Shankar, Indian-American sitar player and composer (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Feza Gürsey, Turkish mathematician and physicist (d. 1992)
- 1922 – Mongo Santamaría, Cuban-American drummer (d. 2003)
- 1924 – Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian-English author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
- 1925 – Chaturanan Mishra, Indian trade union leader and politician (d. 2011)
- 1925 – Jan van Roessel, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian-American drummer, educator, and activist (d. 2003)
- 1927 – Leonid Shcherbakov, Russian triple jumper
- 1928 – James Garner, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Alan J. Pakula, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
- 1928 – James White, Northern Irish author and educator (d. 1999)
- 1929 – Bob Denard, French soldier (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (d. 1972)
- 1930 – Jane Priestman, English interior designer
- 1930 – Yves Rocher, French businessman, founded the Yves Rocher Company (d. 2009)
- 1930 – Andrew Sachs, German-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Roger Vergé, French chef and restaurateur (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Donald Barthelme, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1989)
- 1931 – Daniel Ellsberg, American activist and author
- 1932 – Cal Smith, American singer and guitarist (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Wayne Rogers, American actor, investor, and producer (d. 2015)
- 1933 – Sakıp Sabancı, Turkish businessman and philanthropist (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Ian Richardson, Scottish-English actor (d. 2007)
- 1935 – Bobby Bare, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1935 – Hodding Carter III, American journalist and politician, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
- 1937 – Charlie Thomas, American singer
- 1938 – Jerry Brown, American lawyer and politician, 34th and 39th Governor of California
- 1938 – Spencer Dryden, American drummer (d. 2005)
- 1938 – Freddie Hubbard, American trumpet player and composer (d. 2008)
- 1938 – Iris Johansen, American author
- 1939 – Francis Ford Coppola, American director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1939 – David Frost, English journalist and game show host (d. 2013)
- 1939 – Gary Kellgren, American record producer, co-founded Record Plant (d. 1977)
- 1939 – Brett Whiteley, Australian painter (d. 1992)
- 1940 – Marju Lauristin, Estonian academic and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Social Affairs
- 1941 – James Di Pasquale, American composer
- 1941 – Peter Fluck, English puppet maker and illustrator
- 1941 – Cornelia Frances, English-Australian actress (d. 2018)
- 1941 – Gorden Kaye, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1942 – Jeetendra, Indian actor, TV and film producer
- 1943 – Mick Abrahams, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1943 – Dennis Amiss, English cricketer and manager
- 1944 – Shel Bachrach, American insurance broker, investor, businessman and philanthropist
- 1944 – Warner Fusselle, American sportscaster (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Oshik Levi, Israeli singer and actor
- 1944 – Julia Phillips, American film producer and author (d. 2002)
- 1944 – Gerhard Schröder, German lawyer and politician, 7th Chancellor of Germany
- 1944 – Bill Stoneman, American baseball player and manager
- 1945 – Megas, Icelandic singer-songwriter
- 1945 – Gerry Cottle, English businessman
- 1945 – Marilyn Friedman, American philosopher and academic
- 1945 – Martyn Lewis, Welsh journalist and author
- 1945 – Joël Robuchon, French chef and author (d. 2018)
- 1945 – Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
- 1945 – Hans van Hemert, Dutch songwriter and producer
- 1946 – Zaid Abdul-Aziz, American basketball player
- 1946 – Colette Besson, French runner and educator (d. 2005)
- 1946 – Herménégilde Chiasson, Canadian poet, playwright, and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
- 1946 – Dimitrij Rupel, Slovenian politician and diplomate
- 1946 – Stan Winston, American special effects designer and makeup artist (d. 2008)
- 1947 – Patricia Bennett, American singer
- 1947 – Florian Schneider, German singer and drummer (d. 2020)
- 1947 – Michèle Torr, French singer and author
- 1948 – John Oates, American singer-songwriter guitarist, and producer
- 1949 – Mitch Daniels, American academic and politician, 49th Governor of Indiana
- 1950 – Brian J. Doyle, American press secretary
- 1951 – Bruce Gary, American drummer (d. 2006)
- 1951 – Janis Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1952 – David Baulcombe, English geneticist and academic
- 1952 – Jane Frederick, American hurdler and heptathlete
- 1952 – Gilles Valiquette, Canadian actor, singer, and producer
- 1952 – Dennis Hayden, American actor
- 1953 – Santa Barraza, American mixed media artist
- 1953 – Douglas Kell, English biochemist and academic
- 1954 – Jackie Chan, Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1954 – Tony Dorsett, American football player
- 1955 – Tim Cochran, American mathematician and academic (d. 2014)
- 1955 – Gregg Jarrett, American lawyer and journalist
- 1956 – Annika Billström, Swedish businesswoman and politician, 16th Mayor of Stockholm
- 1956 – Christopher Darden, American lawyer and author
- 1956 – Georg Werthner, Austrian decathlete
- 1957 – Kim Kap-soo, South Korean actor
- 1957 – Thelma Walker, British politician
- 1958 – Brian Haner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1958 – Hindrek Kesler, Estonian architect
- 1960 – Buster Douglas, American boxer and actor
- 1960 – Sandy Powell, English costume designer
- 1961 – Thurl Bailey, American basketball player and actor
- 1961 – Pascal Olmeta, French footballer
- 1961 – Brigitte van der Burg, Tanzanian-Dutch geographer and politician
- 1962 – Jon Cruddas, English lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Andrew Hampsten, American cyclist
- 1963 – Jaime de Marichalar, Spanish businessman
- 1963 – Nick Herbert, English businessman and politician, Minister for Policing
- 1963 – Dave Johnson, American decathlete and educator
- 1964 – Jace Alexander, American actor and director
- 1964 – Russell Crowe, New Zealand-Australian actor
- 1964 – Steve Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1965 – Bill Bellamy, American comedian, actor, and producer
- 1965 – Rozalie Hirs, Dutch composer and poet
- 1965 – Alison Lapper, English painter and photographer
- 1965 – Nenad Vučinić, Serbian-New Zealand basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Richard Gomez, Filipino actor and politician
- 1966 – Zvika Hadar, Israeli entertainer
- 1966 – Béla Mavrák, Hungarian tenor singer
- 1966 – Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
- 1967 – Artemis Gounaki, Greek-German singer-songwriter
- 1967 – Bodo Illgner, German footballer
- 1967 – Simone Schilder, Dutch tennis player
- 1968 – Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer and sportscaster
- 1968 – Jennifer Lynch, American actress, director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1968 – Jože Možina, Slovenian historian, sociologist and journalist
- 1968 – Vasiliy Sokov, Russian triple jumper
- 1969 – Ricky Watters, American football player
- 1970 – Leif Ove Andsnes, Norwegian pianist and educator
- 1971 – Guillaume Depardieu, French actor (d. 2008)
- 1971 – Victor Kraatz, German-Canadian figure skater
- 1972 – Tim Peake, British astronaut
- 1973 – Marco Delvecchio, Italian footballer
- 1973 – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Dutch lawyer and politician, Dutch Minister of Defence
- 1973 – Carole Montillet, French skier
- 1973 – Christian O’Connell, British radio DJ and presenter
- 1973 – Brett Tomko, American baseball player
- 1975 – Karin Dreijer Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
- 1975 – Ronde Barber, American football player and sportscaster
- 1975 – Tiki Barber, American football player and journalist
- 1975 – Ronnie Belliard, American baseball player
- 1975 – John Cooper, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1975 – Simon Woolford, Australian rugby league player
- 1976 – Kevin Alejandro, American actor and producer
- 1976 – Martin Buß, German high jumper
- 1976 – Jessica Lee, English lawyer and politician
- 1976 – Aaron Lohr, American actor
- 1976 – Barbara Jane Reams, American actress
- 1976 – Gang Qiang, Chinese anchor
- 1978 – Jo Appleby, English soprano
- 1978 – Duncan James, English singer-songwriter and actor
- 1978 – Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
- 1979 – Adrián Beltré, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1979 – Patrick Crayton, American football player
- 1979 – Pascal Dupuis, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Danny Sandoval, Venezuelan-American baseball player
- 1980 – Dragan Bogavac, Montenegrin footballer
- 1980 – Tetsuji Tamayama, Japanese actor
- 1981 – Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer
- 1981 – Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (d. 2000)
- 1981 – Vanessa Olivarez, American singer-songwriter, and actress
- 1981 – Suzann Pettersen, Norwegian golfer
- 1982 – Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress
- 1982 – Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler
- 1982 – Kelli Young, English singer
- 1983 – Hamish Davidson, Australian musician
- 1983 – Franck Ribéry, French footballer
- 1983 – Jon Stead, English footballer
- 1983 – Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider
- 1983 – Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player
- 1984 – Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer
- 1985 – KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer
- 1985 – Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician
- 1986 – Brooke Brodack, American comedian
- 1986 – Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist
- 1986 – Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1986 – Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer
- 1987 – Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer
- 1987 – Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete
- 1987 – Jamar Smith, American football player
- 1988 – Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer
- 1988 – Ed Speleers, English actor and producer
- 1989 – Alexa Demara, American actress, model and writer
- 1989 – Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer
- 1989 – Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player
- 1989 – Teddy Riner, French judoka
- 1990 – Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter
- 1990 – Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler
- 1990 – Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player
- 1990 – Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer
- 1991 – Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer
- 1991 – Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter
- 1992 – Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast
- 1992 – Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer
- 1993 – Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler
- 1994 – Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater
- 1994 – Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player
- 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player[5]
- 1997 – Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
Deaths on April 7
- AD 30 – Jesus Christ, (possible date of the crucifixion) (b. circa 4 BC)
- 821 – George the Standard-Bearer, archbishop of Mytilene (b. c. 776)
- 924 – Berengar I of Italy (b. 845)
- 1206 – Frederick I, Duke of Lorraine
- 1340 – Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia (b. 1308)
- 1498 – Charles VIII of France (b. 1470)
- 1499 – Galeotto I Pico, Duke of Mirandola (b. 1442)
- 1501 – Minkhaung II, king of Ava (b. 1446)
- 1606 – Edward Oldcorne, English martyr (b. 1561)
- 1614 – El Greco, Greek-Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1541)
- 1638 – Shimazu Tadatsune, Japanese daimyō (b. 1576)
- 1651 – Lennart Torstensson, Swedish field marshal and engineer (b. 1603)
- 1658 – Juan Eusebio Nieremberg, Spanish mystic and philosopher (b. 1595)
- 1661 – Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet, English commander and politician (b. 1604)
- 1663 – Francis Cooke, English-American settler (b. 1583)
- 1668 – William Davenant, English poet and playwright (b. 1606)
- 1719 – Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, French priest and saint, founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (b. 1651)
- 1739 – Dick Turpin, English criminal (b. 1705)
- 1747 – Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (b. 1676)
- 1761 – Thomas Bayes, English minister and mathematician (b. 1701)
- 1766 – Tiberius Hemsterhuis, Dutch philologist and critic (b. 1685)
- 1767 – Franz Sparry, Austrian composer and director (b. 1715)
- 1782 – Taksin, Thai king (b. 1734)
- 1789 – Abdul Hamid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1725)
- 1789 – Petrus Camper, Dutch physician, anatomist, and physiologist (b. 1722)
- 1801 – Noël François de Wailly, French lexicographer and author (b. 1724)
- 1804 – Toussaint Louverture, Haitian general (b. 1743)
- 1811 – Garsevan Chavchavadze, Georgian diplomat and politician (b. 1757)
- 1823 – Jacques Charles, French physicist and mathematician (b. 1746)
- 1833 – Antoni Radziwiłł, Lithuanian composer and politician (b. 1775)
- 1836 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (b. 1756)
- 1849 – Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentinian priest and politician (b. 1777)
- 1850 – William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (b. 1762)
- 1858 – Anton Diabelli, Austrian composer and publisher (b. 1781)
- 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee, Irish-Canadian journalist, activist, and politician (b. 1825)
- 1879 – Begum Hazrat Mahal, Begum of Awadh, was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (b. 1820)
- 1885 – Karl Theodor Ernst von Siebold, German physiologist and zoologist (b. 1804)
- 1889 – Youssef Bey Karam, Lebanese soldier and politician (b. 1823)
- 1889 – Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Mexican politician and president, 1872-1876 (b. 1823)
- 1891 – P. T. Barnum, American businessman and politician, co-founded The Barnum & Bailey Circus (b. 1810)
- 1917 – Spyridon Samaras, Greek composer and playwright (b. 1861)
- 1918 – David Kolehmainen, Finnish wrestler (b. 1885)
- 1918 – George E. Ohr, American potter (b. 1857)
- 1920 – Karl Binding, German lawyer and jurist (b. 1841)
- 1922 – James McGowen, Australian politician, 18th Premier of New South Wales (b. 1855)
- 1928 – Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician, philosopher, and author (b. 1873)
- 1932 – Grigore Constantinescu, Romanian priest and journalist (b. 1875)
- 1938 – Suzanne Valadon, French painter (b. 1865)
- 1939 – Joseph Lyons, Australian educator and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1879)
- 1943 – Jovan Dučić, Serbian-American poet and diplomat (b. 1871)
- 1943 – Alexandre Millerand, French lawyer and politician, 12th President of France (b. 1859)
- 1947 – Henry Ford, American engineer and businessman, founded the Ford Motor Company (b. 1863)
- 1949 – John Gourlay, Canadian soccer player (b. 1872)
- 1950 – Walter Huston, Canadian-American actor and singer (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Theda Bara, American actress (b. 1885)
- 1956 – Fred Appleby, English runner (b. 1879)
- 1960 – Henri Guisan, Swiss general (b. 1874)
- 1965 – Roger Leger, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1919)
- 1966 – Walt Hansgen, American race car driver (b. 1919)
- 1968 – Edwin Baker, Canadian co-founder of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) (b. 1893)
- 1968 – Jim Clark, Scottish race car driver (b. 1936)
- 1972 – Joe Gallo, American gangster (b. 1929)
- 1972 – Abeid Karume, Tanzanian politician, 1st President of Zanzibar (b. 1905)
- 1981 – Kit Lambert, English record producer and manager (b. 1935)
- 1981 – Norman Taurog, American director and screenwriter (b. 1899)
- 1982 – Harald Ertl, Austrian race car driver and journalist (b. 1948)
- 1984 – Frank Church, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1924)
- 1985 – Carl Schmitt, German philosopher and jurist (b. 1888)
- 1986 – Leonid Kantorovich, Russian mathematician and economist (b. 1912)
- 1990 – Ronald Evans, American captain, engineer, and astronaut (b. 1933)
- 1991 – Memduh Ünlütürk, Turkish general (b. 1913)
- 1992 – Ace Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Antonis Tritsis, Greek high jumper and politician, 71st Mayor of Athens (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Lee Brilleaux, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1952)
- 1994 – Albert Guðmundsson, Icelandic footballer, manager, and politician (b. 1923)
- 1994 – Golo Mann, German historian and author (b. 1909)
- 1994 – Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Rwandan chemist, academic, and politician, Prime Minister of Rwanda (b. 1953)
- 1995 – Philip Jebb, English architect and politician (b. 1927)
- 1997 – Luis Aloma, Cuban-American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 1997 – Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)
- 1998 – Alex Schomburg, Puerto Rican-American painter and illustrator (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Heinz Lehmann, German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
- 2001 – David Graf, American actor (b. 1950)
- 2001 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (b. 1914)
- 2002 – John Agar, American actor (b. 1921)
- 2003 – Cecile de Brunhoff, French pianist and author (b. 1903)
- 2003 – David Greene, English-American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Victor Argo, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2004 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (b. 1901)
- 2005 – Cliff Allison, English race car driver (b. 1932)
- 2005 – Grigoris Bithikotsis, Greek singer-songwriter (b. 1922)
- 2005 – Bob Kennedy, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1920)
- 2005 – Melih Kibar, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1951)
- 2007 – Johnny Hart, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Barry Nelson, American actor (b. 1917)
- 2008 – Ludu Daw Amar, Burmese journalist and author (b. 1915)
- 2009 – Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (b. 1947)
- 2011 – Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (b. 1984)
- 2012 – Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (b. 1914)
- 2012 – Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (b. 1930)
- 2012 – David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (b. 1959)
- 2012 – Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (b. 1918)
- 2013 – Marty Blake, American businessman (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Les Blank, American director and producer (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Andy Johns, English-American record producer (b. 1950)
- 2013 – Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (b. 1937)
- 2013 – Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Carl Williams, American boxer (b. 1959)
- 2014 – George Dureau, American painter and photographer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (b. 1926)
- 2014 – V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (b. 1923)
- 2014 – Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (b. 1952)
- 2014 – John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (b. 1931)
- 2014 – George Shuffler, American guitarist (b. 1925)
- 2014 – Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (b. 1927)
- 2014 – Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (b. 1942)
- 2015 – Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (b. 1919)
- 2015 – José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (b. 1981)
- 2015 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (b. 1983)
- 2015 – Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (b. 1935)
- 2016 – Blackjack Mulligan, American professional wrestler (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Seymour Cassel, American actor (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances on April 7
- Christian feast days:
- Aibert of Crespin
- Blessed Alexander Rawlins
- Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley
- Blessed Notker the Stammerer
- Brynach
- Hegesippus
- Henry Walpole
- Hermann Joseph
- Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
- Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA))
- April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Flag Day (Slovenia)
- Genocide Memorial Day (Rwanda), and its related observance:
- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (United Nations)
- Motherhood and Beauty Day (Armenia)
- National Beer Day (United States)
- Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day (Tanzania)
- Women’s Day (Mozambique)
- World Health Day (International observance)
-
March 3 in History
- 473 – Gundobad (nephew of Ricimer) nominates Glycerius as emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
- 724 – Empress Genshō abdicates the throne in favor of her nephew Shōmu who becomes emperor of Japan.
- 1575 – Mughal Emperor Akbar defeats Sultan of Bengal Daud Khan Karrani’s army at the Battle of Tukaroi.
- 1585 – The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza.
- 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau.
- 1779 – American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army is routed at the Battle of Brier Creek near Savannah, Georgia.
- 1799 – The Russo-Ottoman siege of Corfu ends with the surrender of the French garrison.
- 1820 – The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
- 1845 – Florida is admitted as the 27th U.S. state.
- 1849 – The Territory of Minnesota is created.
- 1857 – Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.
- 1859 – The two-day Great Slave Auction, the largest such auction in United States history, concludes.
- 1861 – Alexander II of Russia signs the Emancipation Manifesto, freeing serfs.
- 1865 – Opening of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group.
- 1873 – Censorship in the United States: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene literature and articles of immoral use” through the mail.
- 1875 – Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen receives its première at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
- 1875 – The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as recorded in the Montreal Gazette.
- 1878 – The Russo-Turkish War ends with Bulgaria regaining its independence from the Ottoman Empire according to the Treaty of San Stefano.
- 1885 – The American Telephone & Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York.
- 1891 – Shoshone National Forest is established as the first national forest in the US and world.
- 1910 – Rockefeller Foundation: John D. Rockefeller Jr. announces his retirement from managing his businesses so that he can devote all his time to philanthropy.
- 1913 – Thousands of women march in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C.
- 1918 – Russia signs the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, agreeing to withdraw from World War I, and conceding German control of the Baltic States, Belarus and Ukraine. It also conceded Turkish control of Ardahan, Kars and Batumi.
- 1923 – TIME magazine is published for the first time.
- 1924 – The 407-year-old Islamic caliphate is abolished, when Caliph Abdülmecid II of the Ottoman Caliphate is deposed. The last remnant of the old regime gives way to the reformed Turkey of Kemal Atatürk.
- 1924 – The Free State of Fiume is annexed by the Kingdom of Italy.
- 1931 – The United States adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.
- 1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
- 1939 – In Bombay, Mohandas Gandhi begins a hunger strike in protest at the autocratic rule in British India.
- 1940 – Five people are killed in an arson attack on the offices of the communist newspaper Flamman in Luleå, Sweden.
- 1942 – World War II: Ten Japanese warplanes raid Broome, Western Australia, killing more than 100 people.
- 1943 – World War II: In London, 173 people are killed in a crush while trying to enter an air-raid shelter at Bethnal Green tube station.
- 1944 – The Order of Nakhimov and Order of Ushakov are instituted in USSR as the highest naval awards.
- 1945 – World War II: American and Filipino troops recapture Manila.
- 1945 – World War II: The RAF accidentally bombs the Bezuidenhout area of The Hague, Netherlands, killing 511 people.
- 1951 – Jackie Brenston, with Ike Turner and his band, records “Rocket 88”, often cited as “the first rock and roll record”, at Sam Phillips’s recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee.
- 1953 – A De Havilland Comet (Canadian Pacific Air Lines) crashes in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 11.
- 1958 – Nuri al-Said becomes Prime Minister of Iraq for the eighth time.
- 1969 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 9 to test the lunar module.
- 1972 – Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 crashes as a result of a control malfunction and insufficient training in emergency procedures.
- 1974 – Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashes at Ermenonville near Paris, France killing all 346 aboard.
- 1980 – The USS Nautilus is decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.
- 1985 – Arthur Scargill declares that the National Union of Mineworkers’ national executive voted to end the longest-running industrial dispute in Great Britain without any peace deal over pit closures.
- 1985 – A magnitude 8.3 earthquake strikes the Valparaíso Region of Chile, killing 177 and leaving nearly a million people homeless.
- 1986 – The Australia Act 1986 commences, causing Australia to become fully independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1991 – An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
- 2005 – James Roszko murders four Royal Canadian Mounted Police constables during a drug bust at his property in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta, then commits suicide. This is the deadliest peace-time incident for the RCMP since 1885 and the North-West Rebellion.
- 2005 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refueling.
- 2005 – Margaret Wilson is elected as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, beginning a period lasting until August 23, 2006 where all the highest political offices (including Elizabeth II as Head of State), were occupied by women, making New Zealand the first country for this to occur.
- 2013 – A bomb blast in Karachi, Pakistan, kills at least 45 people and injured 180 others in a predominately Shia Muslim area.
Births on March 3
- 1455 – John II of Portugal (d. 1495)
- 1455 – Ascanio Sforza, Catholic cardinal (d. 1505)
- 1506 – Luís of Portugal, Duke of Beja (d. 1555)
- 1520 – Matthias Flacius, Croatian theologian and reformer (d. 1575)
- 1583 – Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, English-Welsh soldier, historian, and diplomat (d. 1648)
- 1589 – Gisbertus Voetius, Dutch minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1676)
- 1606 – Edmund Waller, English poet and politician (d. 1687)
- 1652 – Thomas Otway, English playwright and author (d. 1685)
- 1678 – Madeleine de Verchères, Canadian rebel leader (d. 1747)
- 1756 – William Godwin, English journalist and author (d. 1836)
- 1778 – Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1841)
- 1793 – William Macready, English actor and manager (d. 1873)
- 1800 – Heinrich Georg Bronn, German geologist and paleontologist (d. 1862)
- 1803 – Thomas Field Gibson, English manufacturer who aided the welfare of the Spitalfields silk weavers (d. 1889)
- 1805 – Jonas Furrer, Swiss politician (d. 1861)
- 1816 – William James Blacklock, English-Scottish painter (d. 1858)
- 1819 – Gustave de Molinari, Dutch-Belgian economist and theorist (d. 1912)
- 1825 – Shiranui Kōemon, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1879)
- 1831 – George Pullman, American engineer and businessman, founded the Pullman Company (d. 1897)
- 1839 – Jamsetji Tata, Indian businessman, founded Tata Group (d. 1904)
- 1841 – John Murray, Canadian-Scottish oceanographer and biologist (d. 1914)
- 1845 – Georg Cantor, Russian-German mathematician and philosopher (d. 1918)
- 1847 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-American engineer and academic, invented the telephone (d. 1922)
- 1860 – John Montgomery Ward, American baseball player and manager (d. 1925)
- 1866 – Fred A. Busse, American lawyer and politician, 39th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1914)
- 1868 – Émile Chartier, French philosopher and journalist (d. 1951)
- 1869 – Henry Wood, English conductor (d. 1944)
- 1871 – Maurice Garin, Italian-French cyclist (d. 1957)
- 1873 – William Green, American union leader and politician (d. 1952)
- 1880 – Florence Auer, American actress and screenwriter (d. 1962)
- 1880 – Yōsuke Matsuoka, Japanese politician, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1946)
- 1882 – Elisabeth Abegg, German anti-Nazi resistance fighter (d. 1974)
- 1882 – Charles Ponzi, Italian businessman (d. 1949)
- 1883 – Cyril Burt, English psychologist and geneticist (d. 1971)
- 1883 – Paul Marais de Beauchamp, French zoologist (d. 1977)
- 1887 – Lincoln J. Beachey, American pilot (d. 1915)
- 1891 – Damaskinos of Athens, Greek archbishop (d. 1949)
- 1893 – Beatrice Wood, American illustrator and potter (d. 1998)
- 1895 – Ragnar Frisch, Norwegian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
- 1895 – Matthew Ridgway, American general (d. 1993)
- 1898 – Emil Artin, Austrian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1962)
- 1900 – Edna Best, British stage and film actress, appeared on early television in 1938 (d. 1974)
- 1902 – Ruby Dandridge, African-American film and radio actress (d. 1987)
- 1901 – Claude Choules, English-Australian soldier (d. 2011)
- 1903 – Vasily Kozlov, Belarusian general and politician (d. 1967)
- 1906 – Artur Lundkvist, Swedish poet and critic (d. 1991)
- 1911 – Jean Harlow, American actress (d. 1937)
- 1911 – Hugues Lapointe, Canadian lawyer and politician, 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1982)
- 1913 – Margaret Bonds, American pianist and composer (d. 1972)
- 1913 – Harold J. Stone, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1914 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (d. 1973)
- 1916 – Paul Halmos, Hungarian-American mathematician (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Sameera Moussa, Egyptian physicist and academic (d. 1952)
- 1918 – Arthur Kornberg, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2007)
- 1920 – Julius Boros, American golfer and accountant (d. 1994)
- 1920 – James Doohan, Canadian-American actor and soldier (d. 2005)
- 1920 – Ronald Searle, English-French soldier and illustrator (d. 2011)
- 1921 – Diana Barrymore, American actress (d. 1960)
- 1922 – Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2002)
- 1923 – Barney Martin, American police officer and actor (d. 2005)
- 1923 – Doc Watson, American bluegrass singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2012)
- 1924 – Tomiichi Murayama, Japanese soldier and politician, 52nd Prime Minister of Japan
- 1926 – James Merrill, American poet and playwright (d. 1995)
- 1927 – Pierre Aubert, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 2016)
- 1930 – Ion Iliescu, Romanian engineer and politician, 2nd President of Romania
- 1934 – Peter Brooke, Baron Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, English politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
- 1934 – Jimmy Garrison, American bassist and educator (d. 1976)
- 1935 – Mal Anderson, Australian tennis player
- 1935 – Michael Walzer, American philosopher and academic
- 1935 – Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of Bulgaria (d. 2015)
- 1939 – Larry Burkett, American author and radio host (d. 2003)
- 1939 – M. L. Jaisimha, Indian cricketer (d. 1999)
- 1940 – Germán Castro Caycedo, Colombian author and journalist
- 1940 – Perry Ellis, American fashion designer, founded Perry Ellis (d. 1986)
- 1940 – Jean-Paul Proust, French-Monacan police officer and politician, 21st Minister of State of Monaco (d. 2010)
- 1941 – Mike Pender, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1945 – George Miller, Australian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1945 – Hattie Winston, American actress
- 1947 – Clifton Snider, American author, poet, and critic
- 1947 – Jennifer Warnes, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1948 – Snowy White, English guitarist
- 1949 – Ron Chernow, American historian, journalist, and author
- 1949 – Bonnie J. Dunbar, American engineer, academic, and astronaut
- 1949 – Jesse Jefferson, American baseball player (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Kamal Ahmed Majumder, Bangladeshi politician
- 1951 – Andy Murray, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1951 – Heizō Takenaka, Japanese economist and politician
- 1952 – Rudy Fernandez, Filipino actor and producer (d. 2008)
- 1953 – Robyn Hitchcock, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1953 – Zico, Brazilian footballer and coach
- 1954 – Keith Fergus, American golfer
- 1954 – John Lilley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1954 – Édouard Lock, Moroccan-Canadian dancer and choreographer
- 1955 – Darnell Williams, English-American actor and director
- 1956 – Zbigniew Boniek, Polish footballer and manager
- 1956 – John Fulton Reid, New Zealand cricketer
- 1957 – Stephen Budiansky, American historian, journalist, and author
- 1957 – Thom Hoffman, Dutch actor and photographer
- 1958 – Miranda Richardson, English actress
- 1959 – Ira Glass, American radio host and producer
- 1959 – Duško Vujošević, Montenegrin basketball player and coach
- 1960 – Neal Heaton, American baseball player and coach
- 1961 – Mary Page Keller, American actress and producer
- 1961 – John Matteson, American biographer
- 1961 – Perry McCarthy, English race car driver
- 1961 – Fatima Whitbread, English javelin thrower
- 1962 – Glen E. Friedman, American photographer
- 1962 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, American heptathlete and long jumper
- 1962 – Herschel Walker, American football player and mixed martial artist
- 1963 – Martín Fiz, Spanish runner
- 1963 – Khaltmaagiin Battulga, 5th President of Mongolia
- 1964 – Raúl Alcalá, Mexican cyclist
- 1964 – Laura Harring, Mexican-American model and actress, Miss USA 1985
- 1964 – Glenn Kulka, Canadian ice hockey player and wrestler
- 1965 – Dragan Stojković, Serbian footballer and manager
- 1966 – Tone Lōc, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1966 – Timo Tolkki, Finnish guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1968 – Brian Cox, English keyboard player and physicist
- 1968 – Brian Leetch, American ice hockey player
- 1970 – Julie Bowen, American actress
- 1970 – Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer and coach
- 1971 – Charlie Brooker, English journalist, producer, and author
- 1971 – Tyler Florence, American chef and author
- 1972 – Darren Anderton, English international footballer, midfielder and sportscaster
- 1973 – Xavier Bettel, Luxembourger lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
- 1973 – Matthew Marsden, English actor and martial artist
- 1974 – David Faustino, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1976 – Fraser Gehrig, Australian footballer
- 1976 – Isabel Granada, Filipino-Spanish actress (d. 2017)
- 1976 – Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, Estonian politician, 28th Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1976 – Kampamba Mulenga Chilumba, Zambian politician
- 1977 – Ronan Keating, Irish singer-songwriter and actor
- 1977 – Stéphane Robidas, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 – Buddy Valastro, American chef and television host
- 1978 – Matt Diaz, American baseball player
- 1979 – Albert Jorquera, Spanish footballer
- 1980 – Mason Unck, American football player
- 1981 – David Bailey, American basketball player
- 1981 – Julius Malema, South African politician
- 1981 – Emmanuel Pappoe, Ghanaian footballer
- 1982 – Jessica Biel, American actress, singer, and producer
- 1982 – Colton Orr, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982 – Tolu Ogunlesi, Nigerian journalist and writer
- 1982 – Brent Tate, Australian rugby league player
- 1983 – Ashley Hansen, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Sarah Poewe, South African swimmer
- 1984 – Valerio Bernabò, Italian rugby player
- 1984 – Santonio Holmes, American football player
- 1984 – Alexander Semin, Russian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Jed Collins, American football player
- 1986 – Stacie Orrico, American singer-songwriter
- 1986 – Mehmet Topal, Turkish footballer
- 1987 – Jesús Padilla, Mexican footballer
- 1987 – Shraddha Kapoor, Indian actress, singer, and designer
- 1988 – Teodora Mirčić, Serbian tennis player
- 1988 – Michael Morrison, English footballer
- 1988 – Jan-Arie van der Heijden, Dutch footballer
- 1988 – Max Waller, English cricketer
- 1989 – Erwin Mulder, Dutch footballer
- 1990 – Vladimir Janković, Greek-Serbian basketball player
- 1991 – Anri Sakaguchi, Japanese actress
- 1991 – Cho-rong, South Korean singer
- 1993 – Gabriela Cé, Brazilian tennis player
- 1993 – Josef Dostál, Czech kayaker
- 1993 – James Roberts, Australian rugby league player
- 1994 – Umika Kawashima, Japanese singer and actress
- 1996 – Cameron Johnson, American basketball player
- 1997 – Camila Cabello, Cuban-American singer
- 1998 – Jayson Tatum, American basketball player
Deaths on March 3
- 532 – Winwaloe, founder of Landévennec Abbey (b. c. 460)
- 1009 – Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, Umayyad chief minister (b. 983)
- 1111 – Bohemond I, Italo-Norman nobleman (b. 1058)
- 1195 – Hugh de Puiset, bishop of Durham (b. c. 1125)
- 1239 – Vladimir IV Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (b. 1187)
- 1311 – Antony Bek, bishop of Durham
- 1323 – Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle, English military leader
- 1383 – Hugh III, Italian nobleman
- 1459 – Ausiàs March, Catalan knight and poet (b. 1397)
- 1542 – Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, illegitimate son of Edward IV
- 1554 – John Frederick I, Elector of Saxony (b. 1503)
- 1578 – Sebastiano Venier, doge of Venice (b. 1496)
- 1578 – Michael Kantakouzenos Şeytanoğlu, Ottoman Greek magnate
- 1588 – Henry XI, duke of Legnica (b. 1539)
- 1592 – Michael Coxcie, Flemish painter (b. 1499)
- 1605 – Clement VIII, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 1536)
- 1611 – William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus, Scottish nobleman (b. 1552)
- 1616 – Matthias de l’Obel, Flemish physician and botanist (b. 1538)
- 1700 – Chhatrapati Rajaram, 3rd Chhatrapati of Maratha Empire (b. 1670)
- 1703 – Robert Hooke, English architect and philosopher (b. 1635)
- 1706 – Johann Pachelbel, German organist and composer (b. 1653)
- 1744 – Jean Barbeyrac, French scholar and jurist (b. 1674)
- 1765 – William Stukeley, English archaeologist and historian (b. 1687)
- 1768 – Nicola Porpora, Italian composer and educator (b. 1686)
- 1792 – Robert Adam, Scottish-English architect and politician, designed the Culzean Castle (b. 1728)
- 1850 – Oliver Cowdery, American religious leader (b. 1806)
- 1894 – Ned Williamson, American baseball player (b. 1857)
- 1901 – George Gilman, American businessman, founded The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (b. 1826)
- 1905 – Antonio Annetto Caruana, Maltese archaeologist and author (b. 1830)
- 1927 – Mikhail Artsybashev, Ukrainian author and playwright (b. 1878)
- 1927 – J. G. Parry-Thomas, Welsh race car driver and engineer (b. 1884)
- 1929 – Katharine Wright, American educator (b. 1874)
- 1932 – Eugen d’Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (b. 1864)
- 1943 – George Thompson, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1877)
- 1959 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906)
- 1961 – Paul Wittgenstein, Austrian-American pianist (b. 1887)
- 1966 – Joseph Fields, American playwright, director, and producer (b. 1895)
- 1966 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (b. 1887)
- 1966 – Alice Pearce, American actress (b. 1917)
- 1981 – Rebecca Lancefield, American microbiologist and researcher (b. 1895)
- 1982 – Firaq Gorakhpuri, Indian poet and critic (b. 1896)
- 1982 – Georges Perec, French author and screenwriter (b. 1936)
- 1983 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1907)
- 1987 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
- 1988 – Henryk Szeryng, Polish-Mexican violinist and composer (b. 1918)
- 1988 – Sewall Wright, American biologist and geneticist (b. 1889)
- 1990 – Charlotte Moore Sitterly, American astronomer (b. 1898)
- 1991 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (b. 1895)
- 1991 – William Penney, Baron Penney, Gibraltar-born English mathematician, physicist, and academic (b. 1909)
- 1993 – Mel Bradford, American author and critic (b. 1934)
- 1993 – Carlos Marcello, Tunisian-American mob boss (b. 1910)
- 1993 – Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1903)
- 1993 – Albert Sabin, Polish-American physician and virologist (b. 1906)
- 1994 – John Edward Williams, American author and academic (b. 1922)
- 1995 – Howard W. Hunter, American religious leader, 14th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1907)
- 1996 – Marguerite Duras, French author and director (b. 1914)
- 1996 – John Krol, American cardinal (b. 1910)
- 1998 – Fred W. Friendly, American journalist and broadcaster (b. 1915)
- 1999 – Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian chemist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1999 – Lee Philips, American actor and director (b. 1927)
- 2000 – Toni Ortelli, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1904)
- 2001 – Louis Edmonds, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2001 – Eugene Sledge, American soldier, author, and academic (b. 1923)
- 2002 – G. M. C. Balayogi, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1951)
- 2003 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Luis Marden, American linguist, photographer, and explorer (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Goffredo Petrassi, Italian composer and conductor (b. 1904)
- 2005 – Max Fisher, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1928)
- 2006 – Ivor Cutler, Scottish poet and songwriter (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Else Fisher, Australian-Swedish dancer, choreographer, and director (b. 1918)
- 2006 – William Herskovic, Hungarian-American humanitarian (b. 1914)
- 2007 – Osvaldo Cavandoli, Italian cartoonist (b. 1920)
- 2008 – Giuseppe Di Stefano, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1921)
- 2008 – Norman Smith, English drummer and producer (b. 1923)
- 2009 – Gilbert Parent, Canadian educator and politician, 33rd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Keith Alexander, English footballer and manager (b. 1956)
- 2010 – Michael Foot, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Employment (b. 1913)
- 2011 – May Cutler, Canadian journalist, author, and politician (b. 1923)
- 2012 – Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer and illustrator (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Ronnie Montrose, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Alex Webster, American football player and coach (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1940)
- 2013 – Bobby Rogers, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2013 – James Strong, Qantas CEO from 1993 to 2001 (b. 1944)
- 2014 – Robert Ashley, American soldier and composer (b. 1930)
- 2014 – Sherwin B. Nuland, American surgeon, author, and educator (b. 1930)
- 2014 – William R. Pogue, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Ernest Braun, Austrian-English physicist and academic (b. 1925)
- 2015 – M. Stanton Evans, American journalist and author (b. 1934)
- 2016 – Hayabusa, Japanese wrestler (b. 1968)
- 2016 – Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmentalist (b. 1973)
- 2016 – Martin Crowe, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1962)
- 2016 – Thanat Khoman, Thai politician and diplomat, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (b. 1914)
- 2016 – Sarah Tait, Australian Olympic rower (b. 1983)
- 2017 – René Préval, Haitian politician (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Roger Bannister, English middle-distance athlete, first man to run a four-minute mile (b. 1929)
- 2018 – Mal Bryce, Australian politician (b. 1943)
- 2018 – Vanessa Goodwin, Australian politician (b. 1969)
- 2018 – David Ogden Stiers, American actor, voice actor and musician (b. 1942)
- 2019 – Peter Hurford OBE, British organist and composer (b. 1930)
- 2020 – Charles J. Urstadt, American real estate executive and investor (b. 1928)
Holidays and observances on March 3
- Christian feast day:
- Anselm, Duke of Friuli
- Arthelais
- Cunigunde of Luxembourg
- Katharine Drexel
- John and Charles Wesley (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Marinus and Asterius of Caesarea
- Winwaloe
- March 3 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Hinamatsuri or “Girl’s Day” (Japan)
- Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, Virginia, USA)
- Liberation Day (Bulgaria)
- Martyrs’ Day (Malawi)
- Mother’s Day (Georgia)
- Sportsmen’s Day (Egypt)
- Teacher’s Day (Lebanon)
- World Hearing Day
- World Wildlife Day
-
February 15 in History
- 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
- 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
- 1002 – At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
- 1113 – Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.
- 1214 – During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
- 1493 – While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
- 1637 – Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1690 – Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
- 1764 – The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
- 1798 – The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
- 1835 – Serbia’s Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
- 1862 – American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces Fort Donelson, Tennessee. Unable to break the fort’s encirclement, Lloyd surrenders the following day.
- 1870 – Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, USA and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering.
- 1879 – Women’s rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
- 1891 – Allmänna Idrottsklubben (AIK) (Swedish Sports Club) is founded.
- 1898 – The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing 274. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.
- 1901 – The association football club Alianza Lima is founded in Lima, Peru, under the name Sport Alianza.
- 1909 – The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico kills 250.
- 1921 – Kingdom of Romania establishes its legation in Helsinki.
- 1923 – Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
- 1925 – The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
- 1933 – In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6, 1933.
- 1942 – World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
- 1944 – World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy begins.
- 1944 – World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
- 1945 – World War II: Third day of bombing in Dresden.
- 1946 – ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
- 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
- 1952 – King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
- 1954 – Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
- 1961 – Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
- 1965 – A new red-and-white maple leaf design is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the old Canadian Red Ensign banner.
- 1971 – The decimalisation of British coinage is completed on Decimal Day.
- 1972 – Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
- 1972 – José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
- 1982 – The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
- 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
- 1991 – The Visegrád Agreement, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
- 1992 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
- 1992 – Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes near Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, killing all four people on board.
- 1996 – At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3 rocket, carrying an Intelsat 708, crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing many people.
- 2001 – The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
- 2003 – Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million to 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
- 2010 – Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.
- 2012 – Three hundred sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
- 2013 – A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.
Births on February 15
- 1377 – Ladislaus of Naples (d. 1414)
- 1458 – Ivan the Young, son of Ivan III of Russia (d. 1490)
- 1471 – Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (d. 1503)
- 1506 – Juliana of Stolberg, German countess (d. 1580)
- 1519 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, first Spanish Governor of Florida (d. 1574)
- 1557 – Alfonso Fontanelli, Italian composer (d. 1622)
- 1564 – Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (d. 1642)
- 1571 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (probable; d. 1621)
- 1612 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve, French soldier, founded Montreal (d. 1676)
- 1627 – Charles Morton, Cornish nonconformist minister (d. 1698)
- 1638 – Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (d. 1702)
- 1705 – Charles-André van Loo, French painter (d. 1765)
- 1710 – Louis XV of France (d. 1774)
- 1725 – Abraham Clark, American surveyor, lawyer, and politician (d. 1794)
- 1734 – William Stacy, American colonel (d. 1802)
- 1739 – Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart, French architect, designed the Paris Bourse (d. 1813)
- 1748 – Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (d. 1832)
- 1759 – Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (d. 1824)
- 1760 – Jean-François Le Sueur, French composer and educator (d. 1837)
- 1797 – Henry E. Steinway, German-American businessman, founded Steinway & Sons (d. 1871)
- 1809 – André Dumont, Belgian geologist and academic (d. 1857)
- 1809 – Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (d. 1884)
- 1810 – Mary S. B. Shindler, American poet, writer, and editor (d. 1883)
- 1811 – Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (d. 1888)
- 1812 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American businessman, founded Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)
- 1820 – Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (d. 1906)
- 1825 – Carter Harrison, Sr., American lawyer and politician, 29th Mayor of Chicago (d. 1893)
- 1834 – V. A. Urechia, Moldavian-Romanian historian, author, and playwright (d. 1901)
- 1835 – Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (d. 1908)
- 1840 – Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1917)
- 1841 – Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (d. 1913)
- 1845 – Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)
- 1847 – Robert Fuchs, Austrian composer and educator (d. 1927)
- 1849 – Rickman Godlee, English surgeon and academic (d. 1925)
- 1850 – Sophie Bryant, Irish mathematician, academic and activist (d. 1922)
- 1851 – Spiru Haret, Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician, 55th Romanian Minister of Internal Affairs (d. 1912)
- 1856 – Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (d. 1926)
- 1861 – Martin Burns, American wrestler and coach (d. 1937)
- 1861 – Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1938)
- 1861 – Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1947)
- 1873 – Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1964)
- 1874 – Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (d. 1922)
- 1883 – Sax Rohmer, English-American author (d. 1959)
- 1890 – Robert Ley, German politician (d. 1945)
- 1892 – James Forrestal, American lieutenant and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Defense (d. 1949)
- 1892 – Roy Rene, Australian comedian (d. 1954)
- 1893 – Roman Najuch, Polish professional tennis player (d. 1967)
- 1896 – Arthur Shields, Irish republican and actor (d. 1970)
- 1897 – Gerrit Kleerekoper, Jewish-Dutch gymnast and coach (d. 1943)
- 1898 – Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1967)
- 1899 – Georges Auric, French composer (d. 1983)
- 1899 – Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (d. 1985)
- 1904 – Mary Adshead, English painter (d. 1995)
- 1904 – Antonin Magne, French cyclist and manager (d. 1983)
- 1905 – Harold Arlen, Jewish-American composer (d. 1986)
- 1907 – Jean Langlais, French organist and composer (d. 1991)
- 1907 – Cesar Romero, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1908 – Sarto Fournier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 38th Mayor of Montreal (d. 1980)
- 1909 – Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (d. 2010)
- 1910 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (d. 2008)
- 1912 – George Mikes, Jewish Hungarian-English journalist and author (d. 1987)
- 1913 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (d. 1997)
- 1914 – Hale Boggs, American lawyer and politician (d. 1972)
- 1914 – Kevin McCarthy, Jewish-Irish American actor (d. 2010)
- 1916 – Mary Jane Croft, American actress (d. 1999)
- 1918 – Allan Arbus, Jewish-American actor and photographer (d. 2013)
- 1918 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2009)
- 1919 – Ducky Detweiler, American baseball player and manager (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Endicott Peabody, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 62nd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1997)
- 1920 – Eio Sakata, Japanese Go player (d. 2010)
- 1922 – John B. Anderson, Swedish-American lawyer and politician (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Yelena Bonner, Jewish Soviet-Russian activist (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Robert Drew, American director and producer (d. 2014)
- 1925 – Angella D. Ferguson, American pediatrician
- 1927 – Frank Dunlop, English actor and director
- 1927 – Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (d. 2008)
- 1927 – Yehoshua Neuwirth, Israeli rabbi and scholar (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Norman Bridwell, American author and illustrator, created Clifford the Big Red Dog (d. 2014)
- 1928 – Joseph Willcox Jenkins, American composer, conductor, and educator (d. 2014)
- 1929 – Graham Hill, English race car driver and businessman (d. 1975)
- 1929 – James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2014)
- 1930 – Bruce Dawe, Australian poet and academic
- 1931 – Claire Bloom, English actress
- 1931 – Jonathan Steele, English journalist and author
- 1934 – Jimmy Bloomfield, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)
- 1934 – Graham Kennedy, Australian television host and actor (d. 2005)
- 1934 – Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language
- 1934 – Abe Woodson, American football player and minister (d. 2014)
- 1935 – Susan Brownmiller, American journalist and author
- 1935 – Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (d. 1967)
- 1935 – Gene Hickerson, American football player (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Gregory Mcdonald, American author (d. 2008)
- 1937 – Coen Moulijn, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1940 – İsmail Cem İpekçi, Turkish journalist and politician, 45th Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2007)
- 1940 – John Hadl, American football player and coach
- 1940 – Hamzah Haz, Indonesian journalist and politician, 9th Vice President of Indonesia
- 1940 – Vaino Vahing, Estonian psychiatrist, author, and playwright (d. 2008)
- 1941 – Florinda Bolkan, Brazilian actress
- 1941 – Brian Holland, American songwriter and producer
- 1944 – Mick Avory, English drummer
- 1945 – Jack Dann, American-Australian author and poet
- 1945 – John Helliwell, English saxophonist and keyboard player
- 1945 – Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
- 1946 – Clare Short, English civil servant and politician, Secretary of State for International Development
- 1947 – John Adams, American composer
- 1947 – Marisa Berenson, American model and actress
- 1948 – Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
- 1949 – Ken Anderson, American football quarterback and coach
- 1951 – Markku Alén, Finnish race car driver
- 1951 – Melissa Manchester, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1951 – Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
- 1952 – Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
- 1952 – Nikolai Sorokin, Russian actor and director (d. 2013)
- 1953 – Tony Adams, Irish-American screenwriter and producer (d. 2005)
- 1953 – Ernie Howe, English footballer, defender and manager
- 1954 – Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
- 1955 – Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
- 1955 – Christopher McDonald, American actor
- 1956 – Desmond Haynes, Barbadian cricketer and coach
- 1956 – Ann Westin, Swedish comedian
- 1957 – Jake E. Lee, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1957 – Jimmy Spencer, American race car driver and sportscaster
- 1958 – Chrystine Brouillet, Canadian author
- 1958 – Tony McKegney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1958 – Matthew Ward, American singer-songwriter
- 1959 – Adam Boulton, English journalist
- 1959 – Ali Campbell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1959 – Brian Propp, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1959 – Martin Rowson, English author and illustrator
- 1959 – Hugo Savinovich, Ecuadorian wrestler and sportscaster
- 1960 – Darrell Green, American football player
- 1960 – Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2012)
- 1962 – Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
- 1964 – Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (d. 1997)
- 1964 – Leland D. Melvin, American engineer and astronaut
- 1964 – Mark Price, American basketball player and coach
- 1965 – Craig Matthews, South African cricketer
- 1967 – Jane Child, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1967 – Syed Kamall, English academic and politician
- 1967 – Craig Simpson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1969 – Birdman, American rapper and producer
- 1970 – Shepard Fairey, American artist and activist
- 1971 – Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter
- 1971 – Renee O’Connor, American actress, director, and producer
- 1972 – Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
- 1973 – Kateřina Neumannová, Czech skier
- 1973 – Amy van Dyken, American swimmer
- 1974 – Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1974 – Ugueth Urbina, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1974 – Alexander Wurz, Austrian race car driver and businessman
- 1975 – Serge Aubin, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1975 – Annemarie Kramer, Dutch sprinter
- 1975 – Brendon Small, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and actor
- 1976 – Brandon Boyd, American singer-songwriter
- 1976 – Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
- 1979 – Josh Low, English footballer
- 1979 – Hamish Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 – James Marshall, New Zealand cricketer
- 1979 – Scott Severin, Scottish footballer
- 1979 – Gordon Shedden, Scottish race car driver
- 1980 – Conor Oberst, American singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian international footballer, goalkeeper
- 1981 – Matt Hoopes, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1981 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan runner
- 1981 – Diego Martínez, Mexican footballer
- 1981 – Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1982 – Shameka Christon, American basketball player
- 1982 – James Yap, Filipino basketball player
- 1983 – Don Cowie, Scottish footballer
- 1983 – David Degen, Swiss footballer
- 1983 – Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
- 1983 – Alan Didak, Australian footballer
- 1983 – Russell Martin, Canadian baseball player
- 1985 – Serkan Kırıntılı, Turkish footballer
- 1986 – Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer
- 1986 – Johnny Cueto, Dominican baseball player
- 1986 – Laura Sallés, Andorran judoka
- 1987 – Jarrod Sammut, Australian rugby league player
- 1988 – Jarryd Hayne, Australian rugby league player and football player
- 1988 – Hironori Kusano, Japanese singer and actor
- 1988 – Tim Mannah, Australian-born Lebanese rugby league player
- 1988 – Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer
- 1990 – Charles Pic, French race car driver
- 1991 – Ángel Sepúlveda, Mexican footballer
- 1993 – Ravi, South Korean rapper
Deaths on February 15
- 670 – Oswiu, king of Northumbria (b. c. 612)
- 706 – Leontios, Byzantine emperor
- 706 – Tiberios III, Byzantine emperor
- 956 – Su Yugui, Chinese chancellor (b. 895)
- 1043 – Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empress (b. 990)
- 1145 – Lucius II, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1152 – Conrad III, king of Germany (b. 1093)
- 1382 – William de Ufford, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (b. c. 1339)
- 1417 – Richard de Vere, 11th Earl of Oxford, English commander (b. 1385)
- 1508 – Giovanni II Bentivoglio, tyrant of Bologna (b. 1443)
- 1600 – José de Acosta, Spanish Jesuit missionary and naturalist (b. 1540)
- 1621 – Michael Praetorius, German organist and composer (b. 1571)
- 1637 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1578)
- 1738 – Matthias Braun, Czech sculptor (b. 1684)
- 1781 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher, author, and critic (b. 1729)
- 1818 – Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen (b. 1746)
- 1835 – Henry Hunt, English farmer and politician (b. 1773)
- 1839 – François-Marie-Thomas Chevalier de Lorimier, Canadian rebel (b. 1803)
- 1842 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (b. 1754)
- 1844 – Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1757)
- 1847 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician and engineer (b. 1794)
- 1848 – Hermann von Boyen, Prussian general and politician, Prussian Minister of War (b. 1771)
- 1849 – Pierre François Verhulst, Belgian mathematician and theorist (b. 1804)
- 1857 – Mikhail Glinka, Russian composer (b. 1804)
- 1869 – Ghalib, Indian poet and educator (b. 1796)
- 1885 – Gregor von Helmersen, Estonian-Russian geologist and engineer (b. 1803)
- 1897 – Dimitrie Ghica, Romanian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Romania (b. 1816)
- 1905 – Lew Wallace, American author, general, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (b. 1827)
- 1911 – Theodor Escherich, German-Austrian pediatrician and academic (b. 1859)
- 1924 – Lionel Monckton, English composer (b. 1861)
- 1928 – H. H. Asquith, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1852)
- 1932 – Minnie Maddern Fiske, American actress and playwright (b. 1865)
- 1933 – Pat Sullivan, Australian animator and producer, co-created Felix the Cat (b. 1887)
- 1935 – Basil Hall Chamberlain, English-Swiss historian, author, and academic (b. 1850)
- 1939 – Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Russian painter and author (b. 1878)
- 1956 – Vincent de Moro-Giafferi, French lawyer and politician (b. 1878)
- 1959 – Owen Willans Richardson, English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1879)
- 1961 – Laurence Owen, American figure skater (b. 1944)
- 1965 – Nat King Cole, American singer and pianist (b. 1919)
- 1966 – Gerard Antoni Ciołek, Polish architect and historian (b. 1909)
- 1966 – Camilo Torres Restrepo, Colombian priest and theologian (b. 1929)
- 1967 – Antonio Moreno, Spanish-American actor and director (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding, Scottish air marshal (b. 1882)
- 1973 – Wally Cox, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1973 – Tim Holt, American actor (b. 1919)
- 1974 – Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer and engineer (b. 1887)
- 1981 – Mike Bloomfield, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1943)
- 1981 – Karl Richter, German organist and conductor (b. 1926)
- 1984 – Avon Long, American actor and singer (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
- 1988 – Richard Feynman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1918)
- 1992 – María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
- 1992 – William Schuman, American composer and academic (b. 1910)
- 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929)
- 1998 – Martha Gellhorn, American journalist and author (b. 1908)
- 1999 – Henry Way Kendall, American physicist and mountaineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1926)
- 1999 – Big L, American rapper (b. 1974)
- 2000 – Angus MacLean, Canadian commander and politician, 25th Premier of Prince Edward Island (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (b. 1914)
- 2002 – Kevin Smith, New Zealand actor (b. 1963)
- 2004 – Jens Evensen, Norwegian lawyer, judge, and politician, Norwegian Minister of Trade (b. 1917)
- 2005 – Pierre Bachelet, French singer-songwriter (b. 1944)
- 2005 – Samuel T. Francis, American historian and journalist (b. 1947)
- 2007 – Walker Edmiston, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2007 – Ray Evans, American songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2008 – Johnny Weaver, American wrestler and sportscaster (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Jeanne M. Holm, American general (b. 1921)
- 2012 – Cyril Domb, English-Israel physicist and academic (b. 1920)
- 2013 – Sanan Kachornprasart, Thai general and politician (b. 1935)
- 2013 – Ahmed Rajib Haider, Bangladeshi atheist blogger
- 2014 – Thelma Estrin, American computer scientist and engineer (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Christopher Malcolm, Scottish-Canadian actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
- 2015 – Haron Amin, Afghan diplomat, Afghan Ambassador to Japan (b. 1969)
- 2015 – Arnaud de Borchgrave, American journalist and author (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Steve Montador, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1979)
- 2016 – George Gaynes, Finnish-American actor (b. 1917)
- 2016 – Vanity, Canadian-American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (b. 1959)
- 2017 – Stuart McLean, Canadian radio broadcaster (b. 1948)
- 2019 – Lee Radziwill, American socialite (b. 1933)
- 2020 – Caroline Flack, English Actress and TV Presenter (b. 1979)
Holidays and observances on February 15
- Christian feast day:
- Blessed Michał Sopoćko
- Claude de la Colombière
- Faustinus and Jovita
- Oswiu
- Quinidius
- Sigfrid of Sweden
- Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
- Walfrid
- February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Family Day can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (parts of Canada)
- Earliest day on which Washington’s Birthday can fall, while February 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in February. (United States)
- Traditionally the feast day for the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia
- International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
- John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
- Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
- National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
- Parinirvana Day, also celebrated on February 8. (Mahayana Buddhism)
- Singles Awareness Day
- Statehood Day (Serbia)
- Susan B. Anthony Day (Florida, United States)
- The ENIAC Day (Philadelphia, United States)
- Total Defence Day (Singapore)
-
February 2 in History
- 506 – Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of “Roman law”.
- 880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
- 962 – Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
- 1032 – Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy.
- 1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
- 1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established.
- 1438 – Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda.
- 1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross is fought in Herefordshire, England.
- 1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- 1645 – Scotland in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Inverlochy.
- 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
- 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
- 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
- 1850 – Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah.
- 1868 – Pro-Imperial forces captured Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burned it to the ground.
- 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
- 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
- 1899 – The Australian Premiers’ Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia’s capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne.
- 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
- 1909 – The Paris Film Congress opens. An attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPCC cartel in the United States.
- 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
- 1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
- 1922 – Ulysses by James Joyce is published.
- 1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
- 1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
- 1935 – Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts.
- 1942 – The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling.
- 1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.
- 1959 – Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
- 1966 – Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
- 1971 – Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
- 1971 – The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran.
- 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
- 1982 – Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama.
- 1987 – After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution.
- 1989 – Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
- 1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
- 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
- 2002 – Wedding of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
- 2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks.
- 2005 – The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage.
- 2007 – Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
- 2012 – The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146-165 dead.
Births on February 2
- 1208 – James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
- 1282 – Maud Chaworth, Countess of Leicester (d. 1322).
- 1425 (or 1426) – Eleanor of Navarre, Queen regnant of Navarre (d. 1479)
- 1443 – Elisabeth of Bavaria, Electress of Saxony (d. 1486)
- 1455 – John, King of Denmark (d. 1513)
- 1457 – Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, Italian-Spanish historian and author (d. 1526)
- 1467 – Columba of Rieti, Italian Dominican sister (d. 1501)
- 1494 – Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
- 1502 – Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher and historian (d. 1574)
- 1506 – René de Birague, Italian-French cardinal and politician (d. 1583)
- 1509 – John of Leiden, Dutch Anabaptist leader (d. 1536)
- 1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
- 1536 – Piotr Skarga, Polish writer (d. 1612)
- 1551 – Nicolaus Reimers, German astronomer (d. 1600)
- 1576 – Alix Le Clerc, French Canoness Regular and foundress (d. 1622)
- 1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare’s youngest daughter (d. 1662)
- 1585 – Hamnet Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s only son (baptised; d. 1596)
- 1588 – Georg II of Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, German nobleman (d. 1644)
- 1600 – Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
- 1611 – Ulrik of Denmark, Danish prince-bishop (d. 1633)
- 1613 – Noël Chabanel, French missionary and saint (d. 1649)
- 1621 – Johannes Schefferus, Swedish author and hymn-writer (d. 1679)
- 1650 – Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
- 1650 – Nell Gwyn, English actress, mistress of King Charles II of England (d. 1687)
- 1651 – William Phips, Royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay (d. 1695)
- 1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
- 1677 – Jean-Baptiste Morin, French composer (d. 1745)
- 1695 – William Borlase, English geologist and archaeologist (d. 1772)
- 1695 – François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
- 1700 – Johann Christoph Gottsched, German author and critic (d. 1766)
- 1711 – Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (d. 1794)
- 1714 – Gottfried August Homilius, German organist and composer (d. 1785)
- 1717 – Ernst Gideon von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
- 1754 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French general and politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1838)
- 1782 – Henri de Rigny, French admiral and politician, French Minister of War (d. 1835)
- 1786 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (d. 1856)
- 1802 – Jean-Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist and academic (d. 1887)
- 1803 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American general (d. 1862)
- 1829 – Alfred Brehm, German zoologist and illustrator (d. 1884)
- 1829 – William Stanley, English engineer and philanthropist (d. 1909)
- 1841 – François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss limnologist and hydrologist (d. 1912)
- 1842 – Julian Sochocki, Polish-Russian mathematician and academic (d. 1927)
- 1849 – Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet and playwright (d. 1921)
- 1851 – José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican illustrator and engraver (d. 1913)
- 1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway magnate (d. 1938)
- 1856 – Makar Yekmalyan, Armenian composer (d. 1905)
- 1857 – Jan Drozdowski, Polish pianist and music teacher (d. 1918)
- 1860 – Curtis Guild, Jr., American journalist and politician, 43rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
- 1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
- 1862 – Émile Coste, French fencer (d. 1927)
- 1862 – Cornelius McKane, American physician, educator, and hospital founder (d. 1912)
- 1866 – Enrique Simonet, Spanish painter and academic (d. 1927)
- 1873 – Leo Fall, Austrian composer (d. 1925)
- 1873 – Konstantin von Neurath, German politician and diplomat, 13th German Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1956)
- 1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
- 1877 – Frank L. Packard, Canadian author (d. 1942)
- 1878 – Joe Lydon, American boxer (d. 1937)
- 1880 – Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
- 1881 – Orval Overall, American baseball player and manager (d. 1947)
- 1882 – Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (d. 1944)
- 1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet (d. 1941)
- 1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d. 1958)
- 1883 – Julia Nava de Ruisánchez, Mexican activist and writer (d. 1964)
- 1886 – William Rose Benét, American poet and author (d. 1950)
- 1887 – Ernst Hanfstaengl, German businessman (d. 1975)
- 1889 – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general (d. 1952)
- 1890 – Charles Correll, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1972)
- 1892 – Tochigiyama Moriya, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 27th Yokozuna (d. 1959)
- 1893 – Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (d. 1974)
- 1893 – Raoul Riganti, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1970)
- 1893 – Damdin Sükhbaatar, Mongolian soldier and politician (d. 1924)
- 1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
- 1895 – Robert Philipp, American painter (d. 1981)
- 1895 – George Sutcliffe, Australian public servant (d. 1964)
- 1896 – Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
- 1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard Johnson’s (d. 1972)
- 1897 – Gertrude Blanch, Russian-American mathematician (d. 1996)
- 1900 – Anni Frind, German lyric soprano (d. 1987)
- 1900 – Willie Kamm, American baseball player and manager (d. 1988)
- 1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born American violinist and educator (d. 1987)
- 1902 – Newbold Morris, American lawyer and politician (d. 1966)
- 1902 – John Tonkin, Australian politician, 20th Premier of Western Australia (d. 1995)
- 1904 – Bozorg Alavi, Iranian author and activist (d. 1997)
- 1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and philosopher (d. 1982)
- 1908 – Wes Ferrell, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
- 1911 – Jack Pizzey, Australian politician, 29th Premier of Queensland (d. 1968)
- 1912 – Millvina Dean, English civil servant and cartographer (d. 2009)
- 1912 – Burton Lane, American songwriter and composer (d. 1997)
- 1913 – Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor and singer (d. 1985)
- 1914 – Eric Kierans, Canadian economist and politician, 1st Canadian Minister of Communications (d. 2004)
- 1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
- 1915 – Stan Leonard, Canadian golfer (d. 2005)
- 1915 – Khushwant Singh, Indian journalist and author (d. 2014)
- 1916 – Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet and author (d. 1985)
- 1917 – Mary Ellis, British World War II ferry pilot (d. 2018)
- 1917 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese politician, 5th Prime Minister of Vietnam (d. 2018)
- 1918 – Hella Haasse, Indonesian-Dutch author (d. 2011)
- 1919 – Lisa Della Casa, Swiss soprano and actress (d. 2012)
- 1919 – Georg Gawliczek, German footballer and manager (d. 1999)
- 1920 – George Hardwick, English footballer and coach (d. 2004)
- 1920 – John Russell, American Olympic equestrian
- 1920 – Arthur Willis, English footballer, full-back, player-manager (d. 1987)
- 1922 – Kunwar Digvijay Singh, Indian field hockey player (d. 1978)
- 1922 – Robert Chef d’Hôtel, French athlete (d. 2019)
- 1922 – James L. Usry, American politician, first African-American mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey (d. 2002)
- 1922 – Stoyanka Mutafova, Bulgarian actress (d. 2019)
- 1923 – Jean Babilée, French dancer and choreographer (d. 2014)
- 1923 – James Dickey, American poet and novelist (d. 1997)
- 1923 – Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster (d.2012)
- 1923 – Bonita Granville, American actress and producer (d. 1988)
- 1923 – Red Schoendienst, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
- 1923 – Liz Smith, American journalist and author (d. 2017)
- 1923 – Clem Windsor, Australian rugby player and surgeon (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American singer, pianist, producer (d. 2007)
- 1924 – Sonny Stitt, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1982)
- 1925 – Elaine Stritch, American actress and singer (d. 2014)
- 1926 – Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of France
- 1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
- 1927 – Doris Sams, American baseball player (d. 2012)
- 1928 – Ciriaco De Mita, 47th Prime minister of Italy
- 1928 – Jay Handlan, American basketball player and engineer (d. 2013)
- 1928 – Tommy Harmer, English footballer, inside forward, youth team coach (d. 2007)
- 1929 – Sheila Matthews Allen, American actress and producer (d. 2013)
- 1929 – George Band, English engineer and mountaineer (d. 2011)
- 1929 – Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
- 1929 – John Henry Holland, American computer scientist and academic (d. 2015)
- 1929 – Waldemar Kmentt, Austrian operatic tenor (d. 2015)
- 1931 – Dries van Agt, Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
- 1931 – Les Dawson, English comedian and author (d. 1993)
- 1931 – Glynn Edwards, Malaysian-English actor (d. 2018)
- 1931 – John Paul Harney, Canadian educator and politician
- 1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
- 1932 – Arthur Lyman, American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (d. 2002)
- 1932 – Robert Mandan, American actor (d. 2018)
- 1933 – M’el Dowd, American actress and singer (d. 2012)
- 1933 – Tony Jay, English-American actor (d. 2006)
- 1933 – Orlando “Cachaíto” López, Cuban bassist and composer (d. 2009)
- 1933 – Than Shwe, Burmese general and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Burma
- 1935 – Pete Brown, American golfer (d. 2015)
- 1935 – Evgeny Velikhov, Russian physicist and academic
- 1936 – Duane Jones, American actor (d. 1988)
- 1936 – Metin Oktay, Turkish footballer and manager (d. 1991)
- 1937 – Don Buford, American baseball player and coach
- 1937 – Eric Arturo Delvalle, Panamanian lawyer and politician, President of Panama (d. 2015)
- 1937 – Anthony Haden-Guest, British journalist, poet, and critic
- 1937 – Remak Ramsay, American actor
- 1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and activist
- 1937 – Alexandra Strelchenko, Russian Singer (d. 2019)
- 1938 – Norman Fowler, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Transport
- 1938 – Gene MacLellan, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1939 – Jackie Burroughs, English-born Canadian actress (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Mary-Dell Chilton, American chemist and inventor and one of the founders of modern plant biotechnology
- 1939 – Dale T. Mortensen, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2014)
- 1940 – Alan Caddy, English guitarist and producer (d. 2000)
- 1940 – Thomas M. Disch, American author and poet (d. 2008)
- 1940 – Wayne Fontes, American football player and coach
- 1940 – David Jason, English actor, director, and producer
- 1941 – Terry Biddlecombe, English jockey (d. 2014)
- 1942 – Bo Hopkins, American actor
- 1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 – Andrew Davis, English organist and conductor
- 1944 – Geoffrey Hughes, English actor (d. 2012)
- 1944 – Ursula Oppens, American pianist and educator
- 1945 – John Eatwell, Baron Eatwell, English economist and academic
- 1946 – John Armitt, English engineer and businessman
- 1946 – Alpha Oumar Konaré, Malian academic and politician, 3rd President of Mali
- 1946 – Constantine Papadakis, Greek-American businessman and academic (d. 2009)
- 1947 – Greg Antonacci, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
- 1948 – Ina Garten, American chef and author
- 1948 – Al McKay, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
- 1948 – Roger Williamson, English race car driver (d. 1973)
- 1949 – Duncan Bannatyne, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
- 1949 – Yasuko Namba, Japanese mountaineer (d. 1996)
- 1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
- 1949 – Ross Valory, American rock bass player and songwriter
- 1950 – Osamu Kido, Japanese wrestler
- 1950 – Libby Purves, British journalist and author
- 1950 – Barbara Sukowa, German actress
- 1950 – Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese wrestler
- 1951 – Vangelis Alexandris, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Ken Bruce, Scottish radio host
- 1952 – John Cornyn, American lawyer and politician, 49th Attorney General of Texas
- 1952 – Rick Dufay, French-American guitarist and songwriter
- 1952 – Park Geun-hye, South Korean politician, 11th President of South Korea
- 1952 – Ralph Merkle, American computer scientist and academic
- 1952 – Carol Ann Susi, American actress (d. 2014)
- 1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter
- 1953 – Jerry Sisk, Jr., American gemologist, co-founded Jewelry Television (d. 2013)
- 1954 – Christie Brinkley, American actress, model, and businesswoman
- 1954 – Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian skier and actor
- 1954 – Nelson Ne’e, Solomon Islander politician (d. 2013)
- 1954 – John Tudor, American baseball player
- 1955 – Leszek Engelking, Polish poet and author
- 1955 – Bob Schreck, American author
- 1955 – Michael Talbott, American actor
- 1955 – Kim Zimmer, American actress
- 1956 – Adnan Oktar, Turkish theorist and author
- 1957 – Phil Barney, Algerian-French singer-songwriter
- 1958 – Michel Marc Bouchard, Canadian playwright
- 1961 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (d. 2013)
- 1961 – Lauren Lane, American actress and academic
- 1962 – Philippe Claudel, French author, director, and screenwriter
- 1962 – Andy Fordham, English darts player
- 1962 – Paul Kilgus, American baseball player
- 1962 – Kate Raison, Australian actress
- 1962 – Michael T. Weiss, American actor
- 1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
- 1963 – Kjell Dahlin, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1963 – Andrej Kiska, Slovak entrepreneur and philanthropist, President of Slovakia
- 1963 – Philip Laats, Belgian martial artist
- 1963 – Vigleik Storaas, Norwegian pianist
- 1965 – Carl Airey, English footballer
- 1965 – Naoki Sano, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1966 – Andrei Chesnokov, Russian tennis player and coach
- 1966 – Robert DeLeo, American bass player, songwriter, and producer
- 1966 – Adam Ferrara, American actor and comedian
- 1966 – Michael Misick, Caicos Islander politician, Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
- 1967 – Artūrs Irbe, Latvian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 – Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
- 1968 – Sean Elliott, American basketball player and sportscaster
- 1968 – Scott Erickson, American baseball player and coach
- 1969 – Dana International, Israeli singer-songwriter
- 1969 – Valeri Karpin, Estonian-Russian footballer and manager
- 1970 – Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
- 1970 – Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress and singer
- 1971 – Michelle Gayle, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1971 – Arly Jover, Spanish actress
- 1971 – Isaac Kungwane, South African footballer and sportscaster (d. 2014)
- 1971 – Jason Taylor, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1971 – Hwang Seok-jeong, South Korean actress
- 1972 – Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1972 – Aleksey Naumov, Russian footballer
- 1973 – Andrei Luzgin, Estonian tennis player and coach
- 1973 – Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
- 1973 – Marissa Jaret Winokur, American actress and singer
- 1975 – Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 – Donald Driver, American football player
- 1975 – Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
- 1976 – Ryan Farquhar, Northern Irish motorcycle racer
- 1976 – James Hickman, English swimmer
- 1976 – Ana Roces, Filipino actress
- 1977 – Shakira, Colombian singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1977 – Libor Sionko, Czech footballer
- 1978 – Adam Christopher, New Zealand writer
- 1978 – Eden Espinosa, American actress and singer
- 1978 – Annabel Ellwood, Australian tennis player
- 1978 – Barry Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
- 1978 – Rich Sommer, American actor
- 1978 – Faye White, English footballer
- 1979 – Urmo Aava, Estonian race car driver
- 1979 – Fani Chalkia, Greek hurdler and sprinter
- 1979 – Christine Lampard, Irish television host
- 1979 – Klaus Mainzer, German rugby player
- 1979 – Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
- 1979 – Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
- 1980 – Angela Finger-Erben, German journalist
- 1980 – Teddy Hart, Canadian wrestler
- 1980 – Oleguer Presas, Spanish footballer
- 1981 – Emre Aydın, Turkish singer-songwriter
- 1981 – Michelle Bass, English model and singer
- 1981 – Salem al-Hazmi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of American Airlines Flight 77 (d. 2001)
- 1982 – Sergio Castaño Ortega, Spanish footballer
- 1982 – Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
- 1982 – Kan Mi-youn, South Korean singer, model, and host
- 1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1983 – Carolina Klüft, Swedish heptathlete and jumper
- 1983 – Jordin Tootoo, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Vladimir Voskoboinikov, Estonian footballer
- 1983 – Alex Westaway, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1984 – Brian Cage, American wrestler
- 1984 – Mao Miyaji, Japanese actress
- 1984 – Rudi Wulf, New Zealand rugby player
- 1985 – Masoud Azizi, Afghan sprinter
- 1985 – Renn Kiriyama, Japanese actor
- 1985 – Kristo Saage, Estonian basketball player
- 1985 – Silvestre Varela, Portuguese footballer
- 1986 – Gemma Arterton, English actress and singer
- 1986 – Miwa Asao, Japanese volleyball player
- 1987 – Anthony Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
- 1987 – Saia Fainga’a, Australian rugby player
- 1987 – Faydee, Australian singer
- 1987 – Athena Imperial, Filipino journalist, Miss Earth-Water 2011
- 1987 – Mimi Page, American singer-songwriter and composer
- 1987 – Gerard Piqué, Spanish footballer
- 1987 – Javon Ringer, American football player
- 1987 – Jill Scott, English footballer
- 1987 – Victoria Song, Chinese singer and actress
- 1987 – Martin Spanjers, American actor and producer
- 1988 – Zosia Mamet, American actress
- 1989 – Harrison Smith, American football player
- 1989 – Southside, American record producer
- 1991 – Nathan Delfouneso, English footballer
- 1991 – Gregory Mertens, Belgian footballer (d. 2015)
- 1991 – Shohei Nanba, Japanese actor
- 1992 – Lammtarra, American race horse (d. 2014)
- 1992 – Joonas Tamm, Estonian footballer
- 1993 – Ravel Morrison, English footballer
- 1993 – Bobby Decordova-Reid, English born Jamaican international footballer, forward
- 1995 – Paul Digby, English footballer
- 1995 – Aleksander Jagiełło, Polish footballer
- 1995 – Arfa Karim, Pakstani student and computer prodigy (d. 2012)
- 1996 – Harry Winks, English international footballer, midfielder
Deaths on February 2
- 619 – Laurence of Canterbury, English archbishop and saint
- 880 – Bruno, duke of Saxony
- 1124 – Bořivoj II, Duke of Bohemia (b. 1064)
- 1218 – Konstantin of Rostov (b. 1186)
- 1237 – Joan, Lady of Wales
- 1250 – Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
- 1294 – Louis II, Duke of Bavaria (b. 1229)
- 1347 – Thomas Bek, Bishop of Lincoln, was the bishop of Lincoln (b. 1282)
- 1348 – Narymunt, Prince of Pinsk
- 1435 – Joan II of Naples, Queen of Naples (b. 1371)
- 1446 – Vittorino da Feltre, Italian humanist (b. 1378)
- 1448 – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Egyptian jurist and scholar (b. 1372)
- 1461 – Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty (b. c. 1400)
- 1512 – Hatuey, Caribbean tribal chief
- 1529 – Baldassare Castiglione, Italian soldier and diplomat (b. 1478)
- 1580 – Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese daimyō (b. 1558)
- 1594 – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer and educator (b. 1525)
- 1648 – George Abbot, English author and politician (b. 1603)
- 1660 – Gaston, Duke of Orléans (b. 1608)
- 1660 – Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
- 1661 – Lucas Holstenius, German geographer and historian (b. 1596)
- 1675 – Ivan Belostenec, Croatian linguist and lexicographer (b. 1594)
- 1688 – Abraham Duquesne, French admiral (b. 1610)
- 1704 – Guillaume de l’Hôpital, French mathematician and academic (b. 1661)
- 1712 – Martin Lister, English physician and geologist (b. 1639)
- 1714 – John Sharp, English archbishop (b. 1643)
- 1723 – Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist and physician (b. 1666)
- 1768 – Robert Smith, English mathematician and theorist (b. 1689)
- 1769 – Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
- 1802 – Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, English politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1713)
- 1804 – George Walton, American lawyer and politician, Governor of Georgia (b. 1749)
- 1831 – Vincenzo Dimech, Maltese sculptor (b. 1768)
- 1836 – Letizia Ramolino, Italian noblewoman (b. 1750)
- 1861 – Théophane Vénard, French Catholic missionary (b. 1829)
- 1881 – Henry Parker, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of New South Wales (b. 1808)
- 1904 – Ernest Cashel, American-Canadian criminal (b. 1882)
- 1904 – William Collins Whitney, American financier and politician, 31st United States Secretary of the Navy (b. 1841)
- 1905 – Henri Germain, French banker and politician, founded Le Crédit Lyonnais (b. 1824)
- 1907 – Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist and academic (b. 1834)
- 1909 – Carlo Acton, Italian pianist and composer (b. 1829)
- 1913 – Gustaf de Laval, Swedish engineer (b. 1845)
- 1918 – John L. Sullivan, American boxer (b. 1858)
- 1919 – Julius Kuperjanov, Estonian lieutenant (b. 1894)
- 1925 – Antti Aarne, Finnish historian and academic (b. 1867)
- 1925 – Jaap Eden, Dutch speed skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
- 1926 – Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general and politician (b. 1848)
- 1932 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general and politician (b. 1880)
- 1939 – Bernhard Gregory, Estonian-German chess player (b. 1879)
- 1942 – Ado Birk, Estonian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Estonia (b. 1883)
- 1942 – Daniil Kharms, Russian poet and playwright (b. 1905)
- 1942 – Hugh D. McIntosh, Australian businessman (b. 1876)
- 1945 – Alfred Delp, German priest and philosopher (b. 1907)
- 1945 – Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German economist and politician (b. 1884)
- 1945 – Johannes Popitz, German lawyer and politician (b. 1884)
- 1948 – Thomas W. Lamont, American banker and philanthropist (b. 1870)
- 1948 – Bevil Rudd, South African runner and journalist (b. 1894)
- 1950 – Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
- 1952 – Callistratus of Georgia, Georgian patriarch (b. 1866)
- 1954 – Hella Wuolijoki, Estonian-Finnish author and politician (b. 1886)
- 1956 – Charley Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
- 1956 – Truxtun Hare, American football player and hammer thrower (b. 1878)
- 1956 – Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
- 1957 – Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist and academic (b. 1890)
- 1962 – Shlomo Hestrin, Canadian-Israeli biochemist and academic (b. 1914)
- 1966 – Hacı Ömer Sabancı, Turkish businessman (b. 1906)
- 1968 – Tullio Serafin, Italian conductor and director (b. 1878)
- 1969 – Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
- 1970 – Lawrence Gray, American actor (b. 1898)
- 1970 – Bertrand Russell, English mathematician and philosopher, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1872)
- 1972 – Natalie Clifford Barney, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1876)
- 1973 – Hendrik Elias, Belgian academic and politician, 9th Mayor of Ghent (b. 1902)
- 1974 – Imre Lakatos, Hungarian-English mathematician and philosopher (b. 1922)
- 1975 – Gustave Lanctot, Canadian historian and academic (b. 1883)
- 1979 – Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (b. 1930)
- 1979 – Sid Vicious, English singer and bass player (b. 1957)
- 1980 – William Howard Stein, American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
- 1982 – Paul Desruisseaux, Canadian lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
- 1983 – Sam Chatmon, American singer and guitarist (b. 1897)
- 1986 – Anita Cobby, Australian murder victim (b. 1959)
- 1986 – Gino Hernandez, American wrestler (b. 1957)
- 1987 – Carlos José Castilho, Brazilian footballer and manager (b. 1927)
- 1987 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist and screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 1988 – Marcel Bozzuffi, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
- 1989 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (b. 1951)
- 1989 – Arnold Nordmeyer, New Zealand minister and politician, 30th New Zealand Minister of Finance (b. 1901)
- 1990 – Paul Ariste, Estonian linguist and academic (b. 1905)
- 1990 – Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
- 1992 – Bert Parks, American actor, singer, television personality; Miss America telecast presenter (b. 1914)
- 1993 – François Reichenbach, French director and screenwriter (b. 1921)
- 1994 – Marija Gimbutas, Lithuanian-American archeologist (b. 1921)
- 1995 – Thomas Hayward, American tenor and actor (b. 1917)
- 1995 – Fred Perry, English-Australian tennis player (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Donald Pleasence, English-French actor (b. 1919)
- 1996 – Gene Kelly, American actor, singer, dancer, and director (b. 1912)
- 1997 – Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
- 1997 – Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Haroun Tazieff, German-French geologist and cinematographer (b. 1914)
- 1999 – David McComb, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1962)
- 2002 – Paul Baloff, American singer-songwriter (b. 1960)
- 2002 – Claude Brown, American author (b. 1937)
- 2003 – Lou Harrison, American composer and educator (b. 1917)
- 2004 – Bernard McEveety, American director and producer (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Birgitte Federspiel, Danish actress (b. 1925)
- 2005 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
- 2007 – Vijay Arora, Indian actor (b. 1944)
- 2007 – Billy Henderson, American singer (b. 1939)
- 2007 – Joe Hunter, American pianist (b. 1927)
- 2007 – Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
- 2007 – Eric Von Schmidt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1931)
- 2007 – Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
- 2008 – Barry Morse, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1918)
- 2008 – Katoucha Niane, Guinean model and author (b. 1960)
- 2011 – Edward Amy, Canadian general (b. 1918)
- 2011 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish actress (b. 1975)
- 2011 – Margaret John, Welsh actress (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Joyce Barkhouse, Canadian author (b. 1913)
- 2012 – Frederick William Danker, American lexicographer and scholar (b. 1920)
- 2012 – George Esper, American journalist and academic (b. 1932)
- 2012 – Dorothy Gilman, American author (b. 1923)
- 2012 – James F. Lloyd, American pilot and politician (b. 1922)
- 2013 – Abraham Iyambo, Namibian politician (b. 1961)
- 2013 – John Kerr, American actor and lawyer (b. 1931)
- 2013 – Chris Kyle, American soldier and sniper (b. 1974)
- 2013 – Lino Oviedo, Paraguayan general and politician (b. 1943)
- 2013 – Pepper Paire, American baseball player (b. 1924)
- 2013 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (b. 1927)
- 2013 – Walt Sweeney, American football player (b. 1941)
- 2013 – Guy F. Tozzoli, American architect (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor (b. 1935)
- 2014 – Tommy Aquino, American motorcycle racer (b. 1992)
- 2014 – Nicholas Brooks, English historian (b. 1941)
- 2014 – Eduardo Coutinho, Brazilian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1933)
- 2014 – Philip Seymour Hoffman, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1967)
- 2014 – Luis Raúl, Puerto Rican comedian and actor (b. 1962)
- 2014 – Bunny Rugs, Jamaican singer (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Nigel Walker, English footballer (b. 1959)
- 2015 – Joseph Alfidi, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1949)
- 2015 – Dave Bergman, American baseball player (b. 1953)
- 2015 – Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1968)
- 2015 – Molade Okoya-Thomas, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1935)
- 2015 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (b. 1922)
- 2015 – The Jacka, American rapper and producer (b. 1977)
- 2016 – Bob Elliott, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances on February 2
- Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Adalbard
- Cornelius the Centurion
- Martyrs of Ebsdorf
- February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Constitution Day (Philippines)
- Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
- Earliest day on which Shrove Monday can fall, while March 8 is the latest; celebrated on Monday before Ash Wednesday (Christianity), and its related observances:
- Bun Day (Iceland)
- Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
- Nickanan Night (Cornwall)
- Rosenmontag (Germany)
- Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple or Candlemas (Western Christianity), and its related observances:
- A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas). (Scotland)
- Celebration of Yemanja or Our Lady of Navigators (Candomblé)
- Le Jour des Crêpes (France)
- Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)
- Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
- Groundhog Day (United States and Canada), and its related observances:
- Inventor’s Day (Thailand)
- Trader’s Day (Poland)
- Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad (Russia)
- World Wetlands Day
-
January 22 in History
- 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
- 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vikings at Basing.
- 1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
- 1517 – The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.
- 1555 – The Ava Kingdom falls to the Taungoo Dynasty in what is now Myanmar.
- 1689 – The Convention Parliament convenes to determine whether James II and VII, the last Roman Catholic monarch of England, Ireland and Scotland, had vacated the thrones of England and Ireland when he fled to France in 1688.
- 1808 – The Portuguese royal family arrives in Brazil after fleeing the French army’s invasion of Portugal two months earlier.
- 1824 – The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast.
- 1849 – Second Anglo-Sikh War: The Siege of Multan ends after nine months when the last Sikh defenders of Multan, Punjab, surrender.
- 1863 – The January Uprising breaks out in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The aim of the national movement is to regain Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth from occupation by Russia.
- 1879 – The Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War results in a British defeat.
- 1879 – The Battle of Rorke’s Drift, also during the Anglo-Zulu War and just some 15 km away from Isandlwana, results in a British victory.
- 1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.
- 1890 – The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
- 1901 – Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
- 1905 – Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
- 1906 – SS Valencia runs aground on rocks on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, killing more than 130.
- 1915 – Over 600 people are killed in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a train plunges off the tracks into a deep canyon.
- 1917 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for “peace without victory” in Europe.
- 1919 – Act Zluky is signed, unifying the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic.
- 1924 – Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1927 – Teddy Wakelam gives the first live radio commentary of a football match, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.
- 1941 – World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
- 1943 – World War II: Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in the bitterly fought Battle of Buna–Gona.
- 1944 – World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio and Nettuno, Italy.
- 1946 – In Iran, Qazi Muhammad declares the independent people’s Republic of Mahabad at Chahar Cheragh Square in the Kurdish city of Mahabad; he becomes the new president and Haji Baba Sheikh becomes the prime minister.
- 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- 1947 – KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
- 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
- 1957 – The New York City “Mad Bomber”, George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
- 1963 – The Élysée Treaty of cooperation between France and Germany is signed by Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer.
- 1968 – Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.
- 1968 – Operation Igloo White, a US electronic surveillance system to stop communist infiltration into South Vietnam begins installation.
- 1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
- 1971 – The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
- 1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states.
- 1973 – The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.
- 1973 – A chartered Boeing 707 explodes in flames upon landing at Kano Airport, Nigeria, killing 176.
- 1973 – In a bout for the world heavyweight boxing championship in Kingston, Jamaica, challenger George Foreman knocks down champion Joe Frazier six times in the first two rounds before the fight is stopped by referee Arthur Mercante.
- 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during a Super Bowl XVIII television commercial.
- 1987 – Philippine security forces open fire on a crowd of 10,000–15,000 demonstrators at Malacañang Palace, Manila, killing 13.
- 1992 – Rebel forces occupy Zaire’s national radio station in Kinshasa and broadcast a demand for the government’s resignation.
- 1992 – Space Shuttle program: the space shuttle Discovery launches on STS-42 carrying Dr. Roberta Bondar, who becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
- 1995 – Israeli–Palestinian conflict: Beit Lid massacre: In central Israel, near Netanya, two Gazans blow themselves up at a military transit point, killing 19 Israelis.
- 1998 – Space Shuttle program: space shuttle Endeavor launches on STS-89 to dock with the Russian space station Mir.
- 1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons are burned alive by radical Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India.
- 2002 – Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
- 2006 – Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country’s first indigenous president.
- 2007 – At least 88 people are killed when two car bombs explode in the Bab Al-Sharqi market in central Baghdad, Iraq.
- 2015 – An explosion near a civilian trolley-bus in Donetsk kills at least thirteen people.
Births on January 22
- 826 – Emperor Montoku of Japan (d. 858)
- 1263 – Ibn Taymiyyah, Syrian scholar and theologian (d. 1328)
- 1440 – Ivan III of Russia (d. 1505)
- 1522 – Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orléans, (d. 1545)
- 1552 – Walter Raleigh, English poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer (d. 1618)
- 1561 – Francis Bacon, English philosopher and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1626)
- 1570 – Sir Robert Cotton, 1st Baronet, of Connington, English historian and politician, founded the Cotton library (d. 1631)
- 1573 – John Donne, English poet and cleric in the Church of England, wrote the Holy Sonnets (d. 1631)
- 1592 – Pierre Gassendi, French mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (d. 1655)
- 1645 – William Kidd, Scottish sailor and pirate hunter (probable; d. 1701)
- 1654 – Richard Blackmore, English physician and poet (d. 1729)
- 1690 – Nicolas Lancret, French painter (d. 1743)
- 1729 – Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, German philosopher and author (d. 1781)
- 1733 – Philip Carteret, English admiral and explorer (d. 1796)
- 1740 – Noah Phelps, American soldier, lawyer, and judge (d. 1809)
- 1781 – François Habeneck, French violinist and conductor (d. 1849)
- 1788 – Lord Byron, English poet and playwright (d. 1824)
- 1792 – Lady Lucy Whitmore, English noblewoman, hymn writer (d. 1840)
- 1796 – Karl Ernst Claus, Estonian-Russian chemist, botanist, and academic (d. 1864)
- 1797 – Maria Leopoldina of Austria (d. 1826)
- 1799 – Ludger Duvernay, Canadian journalist, publisher, and politician (d. 1852)
- 1802 – Richard Upjohn, English-American architect (d. 1878)
- 1828 – Dayrolles Eveleigh-de-Moleyns, 4th Baron Ventry, Irish hereditary peer (d. 1914)
- 1831 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1917)
- 1840 – Ernest Wilberforce, English bishop (d. 1907)
- 1849 – August Strindberg, Swedish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1912)
- 1858 – Beatrice Webb, English sociologist and economist (d. 1943)
- 1861 – George Fuller, Australian politician, 22nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1940)
- 1865 – Wilbur Scoville, American chemist and pharmacist (d. 1942)
- 1867 – Gisela Januszewska, Jewish-Austrian physician (d. 1943)
- 1869 – José Vicente de Freitas, Portuguese colonel and politician, 97th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1952)
- 1874 – Edward Harkness, American philanthropist (d. 1940)
- 1874 – Jay Hughes, American baseball player and coach (d. 1924)
- 1875 – D. W. Griffith, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1877 – Tom Jones, American baseball player and manager (d. 1923)
- 1879 – Francis Picabia, French painter and poet (d. 1953)
- 1880 – Bill O’Neill, Canadian-American baseball player (d. 1920)
- 1880 – Frigyes Riesz, Hungarian mathematician and academic (d. 1956)
- 1881 – Ira Thomas, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
- 1886 – John J. Becker, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1961)
- 1887 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (d. 1972)
- 1889 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (d. 1935)
- 1889 – Amos Strunk, American baseball player and manager (d. 1979)
- 1890 – Fred M. Vinson, American judge and politician, 13th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1953)
- 1891 – Antonio Gramsci, Italian philosopher and politician (d. 1937)
- 1892 – Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (d. 1986)
- 1893 – Conrad Veidt, German-American actor, director, and producer (d. 1943)
- 1897 – Rosa Ponselle, American operatic soprano (d. 1981)
- 1897 – Dilipkumar Roy, a Bengali Indian musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist. (d. 1980)
- 1898 – Ross Barnett, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of Mississippi (d. 1987)
- 1898 – Sergei Eisenstein, Russian director and screenwriter (d. 1948)
- 1898 – Denise Legeay, French actress (d. 1968)
- 1899 – Martti Haavio, Finnish poet and mythologist (d. 1973)
- 1900 – Ernst Busch, German actor and singer (d. 1980)
- 1902 – Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler, coach, and academic (d. 1970)
- 1903 – Fritz Houtermans, Polish-German physicist and academic (d. 1966)
- 1904 – George Balanchine, Georgian-American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the New York City Ballet (d. 1983)
- 1904 – Arkady Gaidar, Russian journalist and author (d. 1941)
- 1905 – Willy Hartner, German physicist, historian, and academic (d. 1981)
- 1906 – Robert E. Howard, American author and poet (d. 1936)
- 1907 – Douglas Corrigan, American pilot and engineer (d. 1995)
- 1907 – Dixie Dean, English footballer (d. 1980)
- 1908 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
- 1908 – Prince Oana, American baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- 1909 – Martha Norelius, Swedish-born American swimmer (d. 1955)
- 1909 – Porfirio Rubirosa, Dominican racing driver, polo player, and diplomat (d. 1965)
- 1909 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
- 1909 – U Thant, Burmese educator and diplomat, 3rd United Nations Secretary-General (d. 1974)
- 1911 – Bruno Kreisky, Austrian lawyer and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Austria (d. 1990)
- 1913 – Henry Bauchau, Belgian psychoanalyst and author (d. 2012)
- 1913 – William Conway, Irish cardinal (d. 1977)
- 1913 – Carl F. H. Henry, American theologian and publisher (d. 2003)
- 1914 – Dimitris Dragatakis, Greek violinist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1915 – Heinrich Albertz, German theologian and politician, Mayor of Berlin (d. 1993)
- 1916 – Bill Durnan, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 1972)
- 1916 – Henri Dutilleux, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 2013)
- 1916 – Harilal Upadhyay, Indian author, poet, and astrologist (d. 1994)
- 1918 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
- 1919 – Diomedes Olivo, Dominican baseball player and scout (d. 1977)
- 1920 – Irving Kristol, American journalist, author, and academic, founded The National Interest (d. 2009)
- 1920 – Alf Ramsey, English footballer and coach (d. 1999)
- 1922 – Howard Moss, American poet, playwright and critic (d. 1987)
- 1923 – Diana Douglas, British-American actress (d. 2015)
- 1924 – J. J. Johnson, American trombonist and composer (d. 2001)
- 1924 – Ján Chryzostom Korec, Slovak cardinal (d. 2015)
- 1924 – Charles Lisanby, American production designer and art director (d. 2013)
- 1925 – Johnny Bucha, American baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1925 – Bobby Young, American baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1927 – Lou Creekmur, American football player and sportscaster (d. 2009)
- 1927 – Joe Perry, American footballer (d. 2011)
- 1928 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian, author, and academic (d. 2004)
- 1929 – Petr Eben, Czech composer, organist and choirmaster (d. 2007)
- 1930 – Mariví Bilbao, Spanish actress (d. 2013)
- 1930 – Éamon de Buitléar, Irish accordion player and director (d. 2013)
- 1931 – Sam Cooke, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
- 1931 – Galina Zybina, Russian shot putter and javelin thrower
- 1932 – Berthold Grünfeld, Norwegian psychiatrist and academic (d. 2007)
- 1932 – Piper Laurie, American actress
- 1932 – Tom Fisher Railsback, American politician, member of the Illinois and U.S. House of Representatives
- 1933 – Yuri Chesnokov, Russian volleyball player and coach (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Vijay Anand, Indian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
- 1934 – Bill Bixby, American actor and director (d. 1993)
- 1934 – Graham Kerr, English chef and author
- 1935 – Alexander Men, Russian priest and scholar (d. 1990)
- 1936 – Ong Teng Cheong, Singaporean architect and politician, 5th President of Singapore (d. 2002)
- 1936 – Alan J. Heeger, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 – Edén Pastora, Nicaraguan politician
- 1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American police officer and author
- 1938 – Peter Beard, Australian photographer and author (d. 2020)
- 1938 – Joe Esposito, American author (d. 2016)
- 1938 – Altair Gomes de Figueiredo, Brazilian footballer
- 1939 – Jørgen Garde, Danish admiral (d. 1996)
- 1939 – Alfredo Palacio, Ecuadoran physician and politician, President of Ecuador
- 1939 – Luigi Simoni, Italian footballer and manager
- 1939 – J. C. Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and scout (d. 1994)
- 1940 – John Hurt, English actor (d. 2017)
- 1940 – George Seifert, American football player and coach
- 1940 – Gillian Shephard, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education
- 1941 – Jaan Kaplinski, Estonian poet, philosopher, and critic
- 1942 – Mimis Domazos, Greek footballer
- 1943 – Michael Spicer, English journalist and politician (d. 2019)
- 1944 – Khosrow Golsorkhi, Iranian journalist, poet, and activist (d. 1974)
- 1944 – Uto Ughi, Italian violinist and conductor
- 1945 – Jophery Brown, American baseball player, actor, and stuntman (d. 2014)
- 1945 – Jean-Pierre Nicolas, French racing driver and manager
- 1945 – Christoph Schönborn, Austrian cardinal
- 1945 – Alojz Uran, Slovenian archbishop
- 1946 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter and manager (d. 2010)
- 1946 – Serge Savard, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
- 1947 – Vladimir Oravsky, Czech-Swedish author and director
- 1948 – Gilbert Levine, American conductor and academic
- 1949 – Mike Caldwell, American baseball player and coach
- 1949 – J.P. Pennington, American country-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1949 – Steve Perry, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1950 – Paul Bew, Northern Irish historian and academic
- 1950 – Frank Schade, American basketball player and coach
- 1951 – Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater and coach (d. 1989)
- 1951 – Leon Roberts, American baseball player and manager
- 1952 – Ramón Avilés, Puerto Rican-American baseball player
- 1953 – Winfried Berkemeier, German footballer and manager
- 1953 – Myung-whun Chung, South Korean pianist and conductor
- 1953 – Jim Jarmusch, American director and screenwriter
- 1955 – Thomas David Jones, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
- 1955 – Timothy R. Ferguson, American politician
- 1956 – Steve Riley, American drummer
- 1957 – Mike Bossy, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1957 – Brian Dayett, American baseball player and manager
- 1957 – Godfrey Thoma, Nauruan politician
- 1957 – Francis Wheen, English journalist and author
- 1958 – Nikos Anastopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
- 1958 – Filiz Koçali, Turkish journalist and politician
- 1959 – Linda Blair, American actress
- 1960 – Michael Hutchence, Australian singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
- 1961 – Quintin Dailey, American basketball player (d. 2010)
- 1961 – Daniel Johnston, American musician
- 1962 – Jimmy Herring, American guitarist
- 1962 – Huw Irranca-Davies, Welsh lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia
- 1964 – Nigel Benn, English-Australian boxer
- 1964 – Stojko Vranković, Croatian basketball player
- 1965 – Steven Adler, American rock drummer
- 1965 – DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ and producer
- 1965 – Diane Lane, American actress
- 1965 – Andrew Roachford, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
- 1966 – Craig Salvatori, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1967 – Nick Gillingham, English swimmer
- 1968 – Guy Fieri, American chef, author, and television host
- 1968 – Heath, Japanese singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1968 – Frank Leboeuf, French footballer, sportscaster, and actor
- 1968 – Mauricio Serna, Colombian footballer
- 1969 – Olivia d’Abo, English-American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1969 – Keith Gordon, American baseball player and coach
- 1970 – Jason Lowrie, New Zealand rugby league player and coach
- 1970 – Abraham Olano, Spanish cyclist
- 1971 – Stan Collymore, English footballer and sportscaster
- 1972 – Terry Hill, Australian rugby league player and coach
- 1973 – Rogério Ceni, Brazilian footballer
- 1974 – Cameron McConville, Australian racing driver and sportscaster
- 1974 – Joseph Muscat, Maltese journalist and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Malta
- 1976 – Jimmy Anderson, American baseball player and coach
- 1976 – James Dearth, American football player
- 1977 – Mario Domm, Mexican singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
- 1977 – Anna Linkova, Russian tennis player
- 1977 – Hidetoshi Nakata, Japanese footballer
- 1977 – Luciano Andrade Rissutt, Brazilian footballer
- 1978 – Chone Figgins, American baseball player
- 1979 – Aidan Burley, New Zealand-English politician
- 1979 – Carlos Ruiz, Panamanian baseball player
- 1979 – Chor Boogie, American artist
- 1980 – Jonathan Woodgate, English footballer
- 1981 – Willa Ford, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
- 1981 – Beverley Mitchell, American actress
- 1981 – Ben Moody, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor
- 1981 – Ibrahima Sonko, French footballer
- 1981 – Guy Wilks, English racing driver
- 1982 – Fabricio Coloccini, Argentinian footballer
- 1983 – Shaun Cody, American football player
- 1984 – Ben Eager, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 – Ubaldo Jiménez, Dominican baseball player
- 1984 – Leon Powe, American basketball player
- 1984 – Maceo Rigters, Dutch footballer
- 1985 – Fotios Papoulis, Greek footballer
- 1985 – Yan Xu, Singaporean table tennis player
- 1986 – Maher Magri, Tunisian footballer
- 1986 – Matt Simon, Australian footballer
- 1987 – Astrid Jacobsen, Norwegian skier
- 1987 – Shane Long, Irish footballer
- 1988 – Asher Allen, American football player
- 1988 – Greg Oden, American basketball player
- 1988 – Marcel Schmelzer, German footballer
- 1989 – Theo Robinson, English-Jamaican footballer
- 1990 – Alizé Cornet, French tennis player
- 1990 – Dean Whare, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1990 – Logic, American rapper
- 1990 – Phil Wang, British-Malaysian comedian
- 1991 – Stefan Kolb, German footballer
- 1996 – Joshua Ho-Sang, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1998 – Silento, American rapper, singer and songwriter
Deaths on January 22
- 239 – Cao Rui, Chinese emperor (b. 205)
- 628 – Anastasius of Persia, monk
- 906 – He, empress of the Tang Dynasty
- 935 – Ma, empress of Southern Han
- 1051 – Ælfric Puttoc, archbishop of York
- 1170 – Wang Chongyang, Chinese Daoist and co-founder of the Quanzhen School (b. 1113)
- 1188 – Ferdinand II of León (b. 1137)
- 1341 – Louis I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1279)
- 1517 – Hadım Sinan Pasha, Ottoman politician, 32nd Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. ?)
- 1536 – Bernhard Knipperdolling, German religious leader (b. 1495)
- 1536 – John of Leiden, Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden (b. 1509)
- 1552 – Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, English general and politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (b. 1500)
- 1560 – Wang Zhi, Chinese pirate
- 1575 – James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault (b. 1516)
- 1599 – Cristofano Malvezzi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1547)
- 1666 – Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor (b. 1592)
- 1750 – Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl, Bavarian politician (b. 1675)
- 1763 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1690)
- 1767 – Johann Gottlob Lehmann, German meteorologist and geologist (b. 1719)
- 1779 – Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
- 1779 – Claudius Smith, American guerrilla leader (b. 1736)
- 1798 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (b. 1726)
- 1840 – Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, German physician, physiologist, and anthropologist (b. 1752)
- 1850 – Vincent Pallotti, Italian missionary and saint (b. 1795)
- 1879 – Anthony Durnford, Irish colonel (b. 1830)
- 1879 – Henry Pulleine, English colonel (b. 1838)
- 1892 – Joseph P. Bradley, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1813)
- 1900 – David Edward Hughes, Welsh-American physicist, co-invented the microphone (b. 1831)
- 1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (b. 1819)
- 1901 – Emil Erlenmeyer, German chemist and academic (b. 1825)
- 1921 – George Streeter, American captain and businessman (b. 1837)
- 1922 – Fredrik Bajer, Danish educator and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
- 1922 – Pope Benedict XV (b. 1854)
- 1922 – Camille Jordan, French mathematician and academic (b. 1838)
- 1925 – Fanny Bullock Workman, American geographer and mountain climber (b. 1859)
- 1927 – James Ford Rhodes, American historian and author (b. 1848)
- 1929 – R. C. Lehmann, English journalist, author, and politician (b. 1856)
- 1930 – Stephen Mather, American businessman and conservationist, co-founded the Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company (b. 1867)
- 1931 – László Batthyány-Strattmann, Hungarian physician and ophthalmologist (b. 1870)
- 1945 – Else Lasker-Schüler, German poet and playwright (b. 1869)
- 1949 – William Thomas Walsh, American author, poet, and playwright (b. 1891)
- 1950 – Alan Hale, Sr., American actor and director (b. 1892)
- 1951 – Lawson Robertson, Scottish-American sprinter and high jumper (b. 1883)
- 1955 – Jonni Myyrä, Finnish-American athlete (b. 1892)
- 1957 – Ralph Barton Perry, American philosopher and academic (b. 1876)
- 1959 – Mike Hawthorn, English race car driver (b. 1929)
- 1964 – Marc Blitzstein, American pianist and composer (b. 1905)
- 1966 – Herbert Marshall, English actor (b. 1890)
- 1968 – Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer and water polo player (b. 1890)
- 1971 – Harry Frank Guggenheim, American businessman and publisher, co-founded Newsday (b. 1890)
- 1973 – Lyndon B. Johnson, American lieutenant and politician, 36th President of the United States (b. 1908)
- 1975 – Andrew George Burry, Swiss-American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1873)
- 1977 – Ibrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel, Saudi Arabian diplomat (b. 1916)
- 1978 – Oliver Leese, English general (b. 1894)
- 1978 – Herbert Sutcliffe, English cricketer and soldier (b. 1894)
- 1979 – Ali Hassan Salameh, Palestinian rebel leader (b. 1940)
- 1980 – Yitzhak Baer, German-Israeli historian and academic (b. 1888)
- 1981 – Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani historian and academic (b. 1903)
- 1982 – Eduardo Frei Montalva, Chilean lawyer and politician, 28th President of Chile (b. 1911)
- 1985 – Arthur Bryant, English historian and journalist (b. 1899)
- 1987 – R. Budd Dwyer, American educator and politician, 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania (b. 1939)
- 1989 – S. Vithiananthan, Sri Lankan author and academic (b. 1924)
- 1991 – Robert Choquette, Canadian author, poet and diplomat (b. 1905)
- 1993 – Kōbō Abe, Japanese playwright and photographer (b. 1924)
- 1994 – Jean-Louis Barrault, French actor and director (b. 1910)
- 1994 – Telly Savalas, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1996 – Israel Eldad, Polish-Israeli philosopher and author (b. 1910)
- 1997 – Billy Mackenzie, Scottish singer-songwriter (b. 1957)
- 1999 – Graham Staines, Australian-Indian missionary and translator (b. 1941)
- 2000 – Craig Claiborne, American journalist, author, and critic (b. 1920)
- 2000 – Anne Hébert, Canadian author and poet (b. 1916)
- 2001 – Tommie Agee, American baseball player (b. 1942)
- 2001 – Roy Brown, American clown and puppeteer (b. 1932)
- 2003 – Bill Mauldin, American soldier and cartoonist (b. 1921)
- 2004 – Billy May, American trumpet player and composer (b. 1916)
- 2004 – Tom Mead, Australian journalist and politician (b. 1918)
- 2004 – Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1923)
- 2005 – César Gutiérrez, Venezuelan baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1943)
- 2005 – Carlo Orelli, Italian soldier (b. 1894)
- 2005 – Consuelo Velázquez, Mexican pianist and songwriter (b. 1924)
- 2006 – Aydın Güven Gürkan, Turkish academic and politician, Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security (b. 1941)
- 2007 – Ngô Quang Trưởng, Vietnamese general (b. 1929)
- 2007 – Abbé Pierre, French priest and activist (b. 1912)
- 2007 – Liz Renay, American actress, author and performer (b. 1926)
- 2008 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor and director (b. 1979)
- 2008 – Miles Lerman, Polish Holocaust survivor and activist (b. 1920)
- 2009 – Billy Werber, American baseball player (b. 1908)
- 2010 – Louis R. Harlan, American historian and author (b. 1922)
- 2010 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (b. 1929)
- 2012 – Simon Marsden, English photographer and author (b. 1948)
- 2012 – Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
- 2012 – Clarence Tillenius, Canadian painter and environmentalist (b. 1913)
- 2012 – Dick Tufeld, American actor, announcer, narrator and voice actor (b. 1926)
- 2013 – Robert Bonnaud, French historian and academic (b. 1929)
- 2013 – Hinton Mitchem, American businessman and politician (b. 1938)
- 2014 – Maziar Partow, Iranian cinematographer (b. 1933)
- 2015 – Fabrizio de Miranda, Italian engineer and academic, co-designed the Rande Bridge (b. 1926)
- 2015 – Wendell H. Ford, American lieutenant and politician, 53rd Governor of Kentucky (b. 1924)
- 2015 – Margaret Bloy Graham, Canadian author and illustrator (b. 1920)
- 2016 – Homayoun Behzadi, Iranian footballer and coach (b. 1942)
- 2016 – Cecil Parkinson, English politician (b. 1931)
- 2016 – Lois Ramsey, Australian actress (b. 1922)
- 2016 – Kamer Genç, Turkish politician (b. 1940)
- 2017 – Masaya Nakamura, Japanese businessman (b. 1925)
- 2017 – Yordano Ventura, Dominican baseball player (b. 1991)
- 2018 – Ursula K. Le Guin, American sci-fi and fantasy novelist (b. 1929)
Holidays and observances on January 22
- Christian feast day:
- Anastasius of Persia
- Gaudentius of Novara
- László Batthyány-Strattmann
- Laura Vicuna
- Vincent Pallotti
- Vincent of Saragossa
- Vincent, Orontius, and Victor
- Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
- January 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Day of Unity of Ukraine (Ukraine)
- Grandfather’s Day (Poland)
-
January 7 in History
- 1325 – Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal.
- 1558 – French troops, led by Francis, Duke of Guise, take Calais, the last continental possession of England.
- 1608 – Fire destroys Jamestown, Virginia.
- 1610 – Galileo Galilei makes his first observation of the four Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, although he is not able to distinguish the last two until the following day.
- 1738 – A peace treaty is signed between Peshwa Bajirao and Jai Singh II following Maratha victory in the Battle of Bhopal.
- 1782 – The first American commercial bank, the Bank of North America, opens.
- 1785 – Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries travel from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in a gas balloon.
- 1835 – HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, drops anchor off the Chonos Archipelago.
- 1894 – Thomas Edison makes a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. On the same day, his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, receives a patent for motion picture film.
- 1904 – The distress signal “CQD” is established only to be replaced two years later by “SOS”.
- 1919 – Montenegrin guerrilla fighters rebel against the planned annexation of Montenegro by Serbia, but fail.
- 1920 – The New York State Assembly refuses to seat five duly elected Socialist assemblymen.
- 1922 – Dáil Éireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by a 64–57 vote.
- 1927 – The first transatlantic telephone service is established from New York City to London.
- 1928 – A disastrous flood of the River Thames kills 14 people and causes extensive damage to much of riverside London.
- 1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first solo non-stop trans-Tasman flight (from Australia to New Zealand) in 11 hours and 45 minutes, crash-landing on New Zealand’s west coast.
- 1935 – Benito Mussolini and French Foreign minister Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement.
- 1940 – Winter War: Battle of Raate Road – The Finnish 9th Division finally defeat the numerically superior Soviet forces on the Raate-Suomussalmi road.
- 1948 – Kentucky Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell crashes while in pursuit of a supposed UFO.
- 1954 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York at the head office of IBM.
- 1955 – Contralto Marian Anderson becomes the first person of color to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
- 1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
- 1968 – Surveyor Program: Surveyor 7, the last spacecraft in the Surveyor series, lifts off from launch complex 36A, Cape Canaveral.
- 1973 – In his second shooting spree of the week, Mark Essex fatally shoots seven people and wounds five others at Howard Johnson’s Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, before being shot to death by police officers.
- 1979 – Third Indochina War: Cambodian–Vietnamese War: Phnom Penh falls to the advancing Vietnamese troops, driving out Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
- 1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
- 1984 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
- 1985 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches Sakigake, Japan’s first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union.
- 1991 – Roger Lafontant, former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti under François Duvalier, attempts a coup d’état, which ends in his arrest.
- 1993 – The Fourth Republic of Ghana is inaugurated with Jerry Rawlings as President.
- 1993 – Bosnian War: The Bosnian Army executes a surprise attack at the village of Kravica in Srebrenica.
- 1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.
- 2012 – A hot air balloon crashes near Carterton, New Zealand, killing all 11 people on board.
- 2015 – Two gunmen commit mass murder at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, shooting twelve people execution style, and wounding eleven others.
- 2015 – A car bomb explodes outside a police college in the Yemeni capital Sana’a with at least 38 people reported dead and more than 63 injured.
- 2020 – The 6.4Mw 2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes kill four and injure nine in southern Puerto Rico.
Births on January 7
- 889 – Li Bian, emperor of Southern Tang (d. 943)
- 1355 – Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (d. 1397)
- 1502 – Pope Gregory XIII (d. 1585)
- 1634 – Adam Krieger, German organist and composer (d. 1666)
- 1647 – William Louis, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1677)
- 1685 – Jonas Alströmer, Swedish agronomist and businessman (d. 1761)
- 1706 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (d. 1751)
- 1713 – Giovanni Battista Locatelli, Italian director and manager (d. 1785)
- 1718 – Israel Putnam, American general (d. 1790)
- 1746 – George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith, Scottish admiral and politician (d. 1823)
- 1768 – Joseph Bonaparte, Italian king (d. 1844)
- 1797 – Mariano Paredes, Mexican general and 16th president (1845-1846) (d. 1849)
- 1800 – Millard Fillmore, American politician, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)
- 1814 – Robert Nicoll, Scottish poet (d.1837)
- 1815 – Elizabeth Louisa Foster Mather, American writer (d.1882)
- 1827 – Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, created Universal Standard Time (d. 1915)
- 1830 – Albert Bierstadt, American painter (d. 1902)
- 1831 – Heinrich von Stephan, German postman, founded the Universal Postal Union (d. 1897)
- 1832 – James Munro, Scottish-Australian publisher and politician, 15th Premier of Victoria (d. 1908)
- 1834 – Johann Philipp Reis, German physicist and academic, invented the Reis telephone (d. 1874)
- 1837 – Thomas Henry Ismay, English businessman, founded the White Star Line Shipping Company (d. 1899)
- 1844 – Bernadette Soubirous, French nun and saint (d. 1879)
- 1858 – Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Belarusian lexicographer and journalist (d. 1922)
- 1863 – Anna Murray Vail, American botanist and first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden (d. 1955)
- 1871 – Émile Borel, French mathematician and politician (d. 1956)
- 1873 – Charles Péguy, French poet and journalist (d. 1914)
- 1873 – Adolph Zukor, Hungarian-American film producer, co-founded Paramount Pictures (d. 1976)
- 1875 – Gustav Flatow, German gymnast (d. 1945)
- 1876 – William Hurlstone, English pianist and composer (d. 1906)
- 1877 – William Clarence Matthews, American baseball player, coach, and lawyer (d. 1928)
- 1889 – Vera de Bosset, Russian-American ballerina (d. 1982)
- 1891 – Zora Neale Hurston, American novelist, short story writer, and folklorist (d. 1960)
- 1895 – Hudson Fysh, Australian pilot and businessman, co-founded Qantas Airways Limited (d. 1974)
- 1899 – Al Bowlly, Mozambican-English singer-songwriter (disputed; d. 1941)
- 1899 – Francis Poulenc, French pianist and composer (d. 1963)
- 1900 – John Brownlee, Australian actor and singer (d. 1969)
- 1906 – Red Allen, American trumpet player (d. 1967)
- 1910 – Orval Faubus, American soldier and politician, 36th Governor of Arkansas (d. 1994)
- 1912 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist, created The Addams Family (d. 1988)
- 1913 – Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 1993)
- 1916 – W. L. Jeyasingham, Sri Lankan geographer and academic (d. 1989)
- 1916 – Babe Pratt, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
- 1920 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-American actor (d. 1992)
- 1921 – Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, Colombian politician (d. 1997)
- 1921 – Chester Kallman, American poet and translator (d. 1975)
- 1922 – Alvin Dark, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, French flute player (d. 2000)
- 1923 – Hugh Kenner, Canadian scholar and critic (d. 2003)
- 1925 – Gerald Durrell, Indian-English zookeeper, conservationist and author, founded Durrell Wildlife Park (d. 1995)
- 1926 – Kim Jong-pil, South Korean lieutenant and politician, 11th Prime Minister of South Korea (d. 2018)
- 1928 – William Peter Blatty, American author and screenwriter (d. 2017)
- 1929 – Robert Juniper, Australian painter and sculptor (d. 2012)
- 1929 – Terry Moore, American actress
- 1931 – Mirja Hietamies, Finnish skier (d. 2013)
- 1933 – Elliott Kastner, American-English film producer (d. 2010)
- 1934 – Jean Corbeil, Canadian lawyer and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of Labour (d. 2002)
- 1934 – Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 5th President of Cyprus (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Li Shengjiao, Chinese diplomat and international jurist (d. 2017)
- 1935 – Kenny Davern, American clarinet player and saxophonist (d. 2006)
- 1935 – Valeri Kubasov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2014)
- 1941 – Iona Brown, English violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
- 1941 – John E. Walker, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1942 – Vasily Alekseyev, Russian-German weightlifter and coach (d. 2011)
- 1943 – Sadako Sasaki, Japanese survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, known for one thousand origami cranes (d. 1955)
- 1944 – Mike McGear, British performing artist and rock photographer
- 1944 – Kotaro Suzumura, Japanese economist and academic (d. 2020)
- 1945 – Raila Odinga, Kenyan engineer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
- 1946 – Jann Wenner, American publisher, co-founded Rolling Stone
- 1947 – Tony Elliott, English publisher, founded Time Out
- 1948 – Kenny Loggins, American singer-songwriter
- 1948 – Ichirou Mizuki, Japanese singer-songwriter
- 1950 – Juan Gabriel, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
- 1952 – Sammo Hung, Hong Kong actor, director, producer, and martial artist
- 1953 – Robert Longo, American painter and sculptor
- 1954 – Alan Butcher, English cricketer and coach
- 1955 – Mamata Shankar, Indian-Bengali actress
- 1956 – David Caruso, American actor
- 1957 – Katie Couric, American television journalist, anchor, and author
- 1959 – Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, English accountant and politician
- 1959 – Kathy Valentine, American bass player and songwriter
- 1960 – Loretta Sanchez, American politician
- 1961 – John Thune, American lawyer and politician
- 1962 – Aleksandr Dugin, Russian political analyst and strategist known for his fascist views
- 1962 – Ron Rivera, American football player and coach
- 1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor
- 1965 – Alessandro Lambruschini, Italian runner
- 1967 – Nick Clegg, English academic and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- 1969 – Marco Simone, Italian footballer and manager
- 1970 – Andy Burnham, English politician
- 1971 – Jeremy Renner, American actor
- 1972 – Donald Brashear, American-Canadian ice hockey player and mixed martial artist
- 1974 – Alenka Bikar, Slovenian sprinter and politician
- 1976 – Vic Darchinyan, Armenian-Australian boxer
- 1976 – Alfonso Soriano, Dominican baseball player
- 1977 – Sofi Oksanen, Finnish author and playwright
- 1979 – Aloe Blacc, American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, businessman and philanthropist.
- 1982 – Francisco Rodríguez, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1982 – Hannah Stockbauer, German swimmer
- 1983 – Edwin Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
- 1985 – Lewis Hamilton, English racing driver
- 1986 – Wayne Routledge, English footballer winger
- 1987 – Stefan Babović, Serbian footballer
- 1987 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
- 1987 – Davide Astori, Italian footballer (d. 2018)
- 1990 – Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austrian ski jumper
- 1991 – Eden Hazard, Belgian footballer
- 1991 – Caster Semenya, South African sprinter
Deaths on January 7
- 312 – Lucian of Antioch, Christian martyr, saint, and theologian (b. 240)
- 838 – Babak Khorramdin, Iranian leader of the Khurramite uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate
- 856 – Aldric, bishop of Le Mans
- 1131 – Canute Lavard, Danish prince and saint (b. 1096)
- 1285 – Charles I of Naples (b. 1226)
- 1325 – Denis of Portugal (b. 1261)
- 1355 – Inês de Castro, Castilian noblewoman (b. 1325)
- 1400 – John Montagu, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English Earl (b. 1350)
- 1451 – Amadeus VIII of Savoy a.k.a. Antipope Felix V (b. 1383)
- 1529 – Peter Vischer the Elder, German sculptor (b. 1455)
- 1536 – Catherine of Aragon (b. 1485)
- 1566 – Louis de Blois, Flemish monk and author (b. 1506)
- 1619 – Nicholas Hilliard, English painter and goldsmith (b. 1547)
- 1625 – Ruggiero Giovannelli, Italian composer and author (b. 1560)
- 1655 – Pope Innocent X (b. 1574)
- 1658 – Theophilus Eaton, American farmer and politician, 1st Governor of the New Haven Colony (b. 1590)
- 1694 – Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire (b. 1618)
- 1700 – Raffaello Fabretti, Italian scholar and author (b. 1618)
- 1715 – François Fénelon, French archbishop, theologian, and poet (b. 1651)
- 1758 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet and playwright (b. 1686)
- 1767 – Thomas Clap, American minister and academic (b. 1703)
- 1770 – Carl Gustaf Tessin, Swedish politician and diplomat (b. 1695)
- 1812 – Joseph Dennie, American journalist and author (b. 1768)
- 1830 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian public servant and politician (b. 1770)
- 1830 – Thomas Lawrence, English painter and educator (b. 1769)
- 1858 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Ottoman politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1800)
- 1864 – Caleb Blood Smith, American journalist and politician, 6th U.S. Secretary of the Interior (b. 1808)
- 1892 – Tewfik Pasha, Egyptian ruler (b. 1852)
- 1893 – Josef Stefan, Slovenian physicist and mathematician (b. 1835)
- 1919 – Henry Ware Eliot, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Washington University in St. Louis (b. 1843)
- 1920 – Edmund Barton, Australian judge and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
- 1927 – Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos, Greek politician, 99th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1851)
- 1931 – Edward Channing, American historian and author (b. 1856)
- 1932 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (b. 1877)
- 1936 – Guy d’Hardelot, French pianist and composer (b. 1858)
- 1941 – Charles Finger, English journalist and author (b. 1869)
- 1943 – Nikola Tesla, Serbian-American physicist and engineer (b. 1856)
- 1951 – René Guénon, French-Egyptian philosopher and author (b. 1886)
- 1960 – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers, English tennis player and coach (b. 1878)
- 1963 – Arthur Edward Moore, New Zealand-Australian farmer and politician, 23rd Premier of Queensland (b. 1876)
- 1964 – Reg Parnell, English racing driver and manager (b. 1911)
- 1967 – David Goodis, American author and screenwriter (b. 1917)
- 1967 – Carl Schuricht, German-Swiss conductor (b. 1880)
- 1968 – J. L. B. Smith, South African chemist and academic (b. 1897)
- 1972 – John Berryman, American poet and scholar (b. 1914)
- 1981 – Alvar Lidell, English journalist and radio announcer(b. 1908)
- 1981 – Eric Robinson, Australian businessman and politician, 2nd Australian Minister for Finance (b. 1926)
- 1984 – Alfred Kastler, German-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
- 1986 – Juan Rulfo, Mexican author, screenwriter, and photographer (b. 1917)
- 1988 – Zara Cisco Brough, American Nipmuc Indian chief and fashion designer (b.1919)
- 1988 – Trevor Howard, English actor (b. 1913)
- 1989 – Hirohito, Japanese emperor (b. 1901)
- 1990 – Bronko Nagurski, Canadian-American football player and wrestler (b. 1908)
- 1992 – Richard Hunt, American puppeteer and voice actor (b. 1951)
- 1995 – Murray Rothbard, American economist, historian, and theorist (b. 1926)
- 1996 – Károly Grósz, Hungarian politician, 51st Prime Minister of Hungary (b. 1930)
- 1998 – Owen Bradley, American record producer (b. 1915)
- 1998 – Vladimir Prelog, Croatian-Swiss chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
- 2000 – Gary Albright, American wrestler (b. 1963)
- 2001 – James Carr, American singer (b. 1942)
- 2002 – Avery Schreiber, American comedian and actor (b. 1935)
- 2004 – Ingrid Thulin, Swedish actress (b. 1926)
- 2005 – Pierre Daninos, French author (b. 1913)
- 2006 – Heinrich Harrer, Austrian mountaineer, geographer, and author (b. 1912)
- 2007 – Bobby Hamilton, American race car driver and businessman (b. 1957)
- 2007 – Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic journalist, author, and academic (b. 1929)
- 2008 – Alwyn Schlebusch, South African academic and politician, Vice State President of South Africa (b. 1917)
- 2012 – Tony Blankley, British-born American child actor, journalist and pundit (b. 1948)
- 2014 – Run Run Shaw, Chinese-Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist, founded Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB (b. 1907)
- 2015 – Mompati Merafhe, Botswana general and politician, Vice-President of Botswana (b. 1936)
- 2015 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
- 2015 – Georges Wolinski, Tunisian-French cartoonist (b. 1934)
- 2016 – Bill Foster, American basketball player and coach (b. 1929)
- 2016 – John Johnson, American basketball player (b. 1947)
- 2016 – Kitty Kallen, American singer (b. 1921)
- 2016 – Judith Kaye, American lawyer and jurist (b. 1938)
- 2016 – Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (b. 1936)
- 2017 – Mário Soares, Portuguese politician; 16th President of Portugal (b. 1924)
- 2018 – Jim Anderton, Former New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister (b. 1938)
- 2018 – France Gall, French singer (b. 1947)
Holidays and observances on January 7
- Christian Feast Day:
- André Bessette (Canada)
- Canute Lavard
- Charles of Sezze
- Felix and Januarius
- Lucian of Antioch
- Raymond of Penyafort
- Synaxis of John the Forerunner & Baptist (Julian Calendar)
- January 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Christmas (Eastern Orthodox Churches and Oriental Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar, Rastafari)
- Christmas in Russia
- Christmas in Ukraine
- Remembrance Day of the Dead (Armenia)
- Distaff Day (medieval Europe)
- Earliest day on which Plough Monday can fall, while January 13 is the latest; celebrated on Monday after Epiphany (Europe).
- Nanakusa no sekku (Japan)
- Pioneer’s Day (Liberia)
- Tricolour day or Festa del Tricolore (Italy)
- Victory from Genocide Day (Cambodia)